Eminem took a step back in time at the 2024 MTV VMA Awards by recreating his iconic performance from the ceremony nearly 25 years ago.
The Detroit rap legend opened the show for the first time since 2010, performing his recent single “Houdini” while wearing a blonde wig and surrounded by a lookalike crowd.
The bearded 51-year-old even began his performance by walking through the audience at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, as he walked onto the stage.
Once on stage, Em was joined by longtime D12 collaborator Mr. Porter and dozens of his alter egos.
The performance was a nod to his classic appearance at the VMAs in 2000, when he and a group of blond lookalikes took over New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Eminem opened the show in the bustling streets outside the venue before he and his squadron of Slim Shadys swarmed into the venue, where the Interscope signee performed his hit single “The Real Slim Shady.”
Em recalled the performance in his 2008 book The Way I Am, writing, “‘The Real Slim Shady’ was my biggest hit at the time and the 2000 VMAs was a real milestone. I couldn’t Face, I was nervous about that performance.
“When I saw all the look-alike people walking out of Radio City Music Hall, I tried to stay calm and collected as much as possible, but I couldn’t shake my nerves for at least the first 30 seconds of the song. I recently watched The DVD of that night shows how nervous I was.
He added: “It was one of those moments where I was thinking, ‘Hey, I think I’ve made it in rap. I’m a top-notch rapper, top-notch rap!”
After a nostalgic rendition of “Houdini,” Eminem ditched his blonde wig, turning playfulness into poignancy, and capped off his VMA medley by performing “Somebody Save Me” with Jelly Roll.
The song, taken from his latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), has Marshall Mathers reflecting on his biggest regret as a parent, which largely stems from his addiction and busy past music career.
Eminem had reason to leave the VMAs in high spirits, though, as “Houdini” beat out Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy,” Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s “FE!N,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “BOA” to win the biggest prize. Best Hip Hop Film Award.
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The whimsical superhero-themed film also won for best visual effects, although it lost out on nominations in four other categories: film of the year, song of the summer, best director and best editing.
Em also competed for Entertainer of the Year, but lost to Taylor Swift, and won the VMA Award for Most Iconic Performance, which went to Katy Perry for her 2013 performance of “Roar.”
Check out the full list of 2024 MTV VMA winners below.
best video of the year
• Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Waiting for Your Love)”
• Billie Eilish – “Lunch”
• Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red”
• Eminem – “Houdini”
• SZA – “Snooze”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” [WINNER]
artist of the year
•Ariana Grande
• Bad Bunny
•slim Shady
• Sabrina Carpenter
• SZA
• Taylor Swift [WINNER]
song of the year
• Beyoncé – “Texas Hold’em”
• Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” [WINNER]
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
• Teddy swimming – “out of control”
Best New Artist
• Benson Boone
• Chappell Rowan [WINNER]
•Gracie Abrams
Shabz
• Teddy swimming
• Terra
MTV Promotional Performance of the Year
• August 2023: Kaliii – “area code”
• September 2023: GloRilla – “Lick or Sum”
• October 2023: Benson Boone – “In The Stars”
• November 2023: Coco Jones – “ICU”
• December 2023: Victoria Monet – “On My Mama”
• January 2024: Jessie Murph – “Wild Ones”
• February 2024: Teddy Swim – “Out of Control”
• March 2024: Chappell Roan – “Red Wine Supernova”
• April 2024: Flyana Boss – “yeaaa”
• May 2024: Laufey – “The Goddess”
• June 2024: LE SSERFIM – “Easy” [WINNER]
• July 2024: Warning—“Automatic Sun”
best cooperation
• Drake ft. Sexyy Red and SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy”
• GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be”
• Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones”
• Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”
• Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” [WINNER]
best pop music
• Camila Cabello
•Dua Lipa
• Olivia Rodrigo
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Tate McCray
• Taylor Swift [WINNER]
best hip hop music
• Drake ft. Sexyy Red and SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy”
• Eminem – “Houdini” [WINNER]
• GloRilla – “Yeah, Glo!”
• Gunna – “fukumean”
• Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA”
• Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti – “FE!N”
best rhythm and blues
• Alicia Keys – “Lifeline”
• Muni Long – “Made for Me”
• SZA – “Snooze” [WINNER]
• Terra – “water”
• Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good”
• Victoria Monet – “On My Mama”
best choice
• Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” [WINNER]
• Grandstand – “Little Moves”
• Hozier – “Too sweet”
• Imagine a dragon – “Close your eyes”
• Linkin Park – Friendly Fire
• Teddy Swim – “Lose Control (Live)”
best rock
• Bon Jovi – “The Legend”
• Coldplay – “Feels Like Falling in Love”
• Green Day – “The Dilemma”
• Kings of Leon – “Mustang”
• Leni Kravitz – “Humans” [WINNER]
• U2 – “Atomic City”
best latin
• Anitta – “Mil Veces” [WINNER]
• Bad Bunny—“Monaco”
• KAROL G – “MI EX TENÍA RAZÓN”
• Macta – “LALA”
• Peso Pluma and Anitta – “BELLAKEO”
• Rauw Alejandro – “Touch the Sky”
• Shakira and Cardi B – “Puntería”
best african music
• Ayra Starr ft. Giveon – “The Last Heartbreak Song”
• Burna Boy – “city boy”
• Chris Brown ft. Davido and Lojay – “Sensational”
• Tems – “Love Me JeJe”
• Terra – “water” [WINNER]
• Fields Arthur – The Undoing
Best Korean Pop Music
• Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”
• LISA – “Rock Star” [WINNER]
• NCT Dream – “Smoothie”
• NewJeans – “Super Shy”
• Street children – “LALALALA”
• TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Deja Vu”
Video public welfare
• Alexander Stewart – “If only you knew”
• Billie Eilish – “What I Was Born For” [WINNER]
• Coldplay – “Feels Like Falling in Love”
• Joyner Lucas and Jelly Roll – “Best for Me”
• RAYE – “Genesis”.
• Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
best direction
• Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Waiting for Your Love)”
• Grandstand – “Little Moves”
• Eminem – “Houdini”
• Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” [WINNER]
Best Photography
• Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Waiting for Your Love)” [WINNER]
• Charli xcx – “Von dutch”
• Dua Lipa – “Hallucination”
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Obsessed”
• Rauw Alejandro – “Touch the Sky”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
best clip
• Anitta – “Mil Veces”
• Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Waiting for Your Love)”
• Eminem – “Houdini”
• LISA – “Rock Star”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” [WINNER]
Best Choreography
• Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” (Choreographer: Margaret Qualley)
• Dua Lipa – “Houdini” (Choreographer: Charm La’Donna) [WINNER]
• LISA – “Rockstar” (choreography by Sean Bankhead)
• Rauw Alejandro – “Touching The Sky” (Choreographer: Felix “Fefe” Burgos)
• Tate McRae – “Greedy” (choreography by Sean Bankhead)
• Troye Sivan – “Rush” (Choreographer: Sergio Reis and Mauro Van De Kerkhof)
best visual effects
• Ariana Grande – “The Boy Is Mine” (Digital Axis Visual Effects)
• Eminem – “Houdini” (visuals by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysical & Flawless Post) [WINNER]
• Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” (visual effects by Candice Dragonas)
• Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” (Mathematical Visual Effects)
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Bring Him Back!” (Visual effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian and Justin Johnson)
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” (Parliament Visual Effects)
Best Art Direction
• Charli xcx – “360” (Art Director: Grace Surnow)
• LISA – “Rockstar” (Art Director: Pongsan Thawatwichian)
• Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” (Art Direction by Brittany Porter) [WINNER]
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Bad idea, huh?” (Art Director: Nicholas des Jardins)
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” (art direction: Nicholas des Jardins)
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” (Art Director: Ethan Tobman)
Best Popular Videos
• Beyoncé – “Texas Hold’em”
• Camila Cabello ft. Playboi Carti – “I LUV IT”
• Chappell Roan – “HOT TO GO!”
• Charli xcx – “Apple”
• Megan Thee Stallion ft. Yuki Chiba – “Mamushi” [WINNER]
• Tinashe – “Nasty”
best group
• Synchronization
• Coldplay
• Imagine a dragon
•NCT Dream
• New jeans
•Seventeen [WINNER]
• X together tomorrow
• Twenty One Pilots
summer song
• Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Waiting for Your Love)”
• Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things”
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
• Chappell Roan – “Good luck, baby!”
• Charli xcx and Billie Eilish – “Guess Starring Billie Eilish”
• Eminem – “Houdini”
• Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar – “Like That”
• GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be”
• Hozier – “Too sweet”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
• Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – “I’ve Got Some Help.”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”
• Shaboozey – “Bar Song (Drunk)”
• SZA – “Saturn”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” [WINNER]
• Tommy Richman – “Million Dollar Baby”
The most representative performance of VMAS
• Beyoncé – “Love On Top”
• Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Missy Elliott – Like a Virgin and Hollywood
• Eminem – “Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am”
• Katy Perry – “Roar” [WINNER]
• Lady Gaga – “Paparazzi”
• Madonna – “Like a Virgin”
• Taylor Swift – “You Belong to Me”
