Eminem kicked off the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of “Houdini” and his Jelly Roll collaboration “Somebody Save Me” off his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).
The performance opened with a short skit in which a mass of Slim Shady clones stormed New York’s UBS Arena under the leadership of Eminem as he rapped the opening lyrics of “Without Me” from 2002’s The Eminem Show. In a choppy blonde wig of his own, Eminem used the opening as a reference to his entrance at the 2000 MTV VMAs, when he performed “The Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am” accompanied by over 100 lookalikes. That performance is also nominated for one of the VMAs’ new prizes this year, Most Iconic Performance.
Once he launched into “Houdini,” Eminem kept the energy high until he transitioned into the more emotional cut “Somebody Save Me.” The second video featured visuals of Jelly Roll singing his portion of the song on the screen, which was later replaced with home videos of Eminem’s kids.
Along with opening the show, Eminem is nominated for eight VMAs this year, including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop, and Song of the Summer for the Death of Slim Shady’s lead single, “Houdini.” If he wins just one award, he’ll overtake Peter Gabriel as the male artist with the most Moon Persons in VMAs history.
Eminem last performed at the VMAs in 2022, when he and Snoop Dogg delivered their collaboration, “From the D 2 The LBC.” He also made a cameo during Dr. Dre and Snoop’s VMA performance in 2012; opened the show in 2010 with “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie” with Rihanna; and performed for the first time in 1999 with of “Guilty Conscience” and “My Name Is.”
Eminem dropped The Death of Slim Shady back in July, the rapper’s 12th studio album ostensibly serving as a final salvo for his longtime alter ego, Slim Shady. Along with “Houdini,” the album features songs like “Tobey,” with Big Sean and BabyTron, “Habits” with White Gold, “Temporary” with Skylar Grey, and “Somebody Save Me” with Jelly Roll.
