Sunday night, Eminem returned with his "Lose Yourself" track to deliver on a surprise performance 17 years after the song won the award for Best Original Song for its appearance in Em's 8 Mile film.
The return was in tune with a moment of redemption for the vet who skipped out on the 2003 ceremonies because he didn't believe that he would actually win. That year, presenter Barbra Streisand gave the statue to Luis Resto, who co-wrote the track.
"Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity," he tweeted in connection with the surprise appearance. "Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here."
According to reports, the appearance was so top-secret that the Dolby Theatre was placed on lockdown during his rehearsals. If news of his appearance happened to leak, Eminem would have the full option to cancel the appearance altogether. The performance follows up on the rollout for Em's most recent Music To Be Murdered By offering. Similar to his showing at the Academy Awards, Music To Be Murdered By was a surprise for most. Notably, the 20-song outing featured vocals from Anderson .Paak, the late Juice WRLD, Don Toliver, and Ed Sheeran among a host of others.