Eminem celebrated his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony by sharing the stage with Ed Sheeran and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Eminem was among the 2022 class inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Pat Benatar and more. The star-studded induction ceremony was filmed at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and will premiere on Saturday, November 19 via HBO.
The 15-time Grammy Award-winner flaunted a gold chain and hooded leather jacket, opening with his 1999 hit “My Name Is” and quickly jumping into his 2013 cutting-edge single “Rap God,” before joining the stage with Steven Tyler for a duet of “Sing For The Moment” (which samples Aerosmith’s “Dream On”).
Following the high-energy performance, Ed Sheeran took to the stage to sing Dido’s parts in “Stan,” playing guitar alongside the rapper. Eminem then closed out the show with his chart-topping tracks “Forever” and “Not Afraid.”
Dr. Dre, longtime friend and mentor to Eminem, inducted him into the Hall of Fame. Dre went on to share his first encounter with the rapper, detailing the controversy he faced from his team about signing him “simply because he was White.” However, he took a gamble on the Detroit native and was forever glad he did.
He boasted (according to The LA Times) that “Eminem wasn’t just an underdog who broke through the glass ceiling of hip-hop – he shattered that shit.” He lauded that Eminem “brought hip-hop to middle America,” while his music “holds a mirror up to white America.”
He also commended Eminem for his proficiency in turning his struggles into art.
“Em would go on to overdose, relapse and recover not only on his albums, but also in real life. Let me tell you something, this guy goes through a lot of s–t just to get a concept for a song.”
The hip-hop artist had difficulty receiving the induction, claiming in his acceptance speech that he shouldn’t be at the ceremony because he is a rapper and “this is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” and because he nearly died in 2007 due to a drug overdose.
He ended his speech by singing the praises of the myriad of rappers who influenced his career including Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., De La Soul, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and Snoop Dogg.
“Those are just a few of the names that I hope will be considered in the future for induction because without them, a lot of us wouldn’t be here. This induction is meant to be me, talking about myself and shit but fuck that. I would not be here without them,” Eminem said. “I’m a high-school dropout with a hip-hop education and these were my teachers. It’s their night, as much as it is mine.”
