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Eminem · S4 E5
Lose Yourself
Oscar night, 2003. An empty chair. The biggest rap song ever written wins Best Original Song
March 23, 2003. The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood falls silent as the Best Original Song winner is announced. The camera pans to Eminem's seat, and it is empty.
Eminem: Lose Yourself (live at the 92nd Academy Awards, 2020). Seventeen years after his empty chair became one of the most talked-about moments in Oscar history, Eminem finally shows up. Unannounced, no red carpet. He walks onto the Oscar stage and performs the song he never collected in person. The audience of Hollywood's biggest stars rises to their feet.
Lose Yourself
Written on set during the filming of 8 Mile. Eminem scribbled lyrics on scraps of paper between takes, often in his trailer at 3 AM. The guitar riff was composed by Jeff Bass, who played it on a cheap acoustic guitar in the back of a tour bus. Eminem heard it once and told him to never play it for anyone else. The final recording was done in a single marathon session at 54 Sound in Detroit. The beat builds across all three verses without ever dropping out. There is no hook relief, no chorus that lets you breathe.
“I didn't go because I didn't think I had a chance of winning. I literally thought, there's no way they're giving this to a rapper. I fell asleep watching a movie with Hailie.”
— Eminem, Shade 45 (SiriusXM) interview, 2020
TAP TO REVEAL: Where exactly was Eminem when "Lose Yourself" won the Oscar?
Beyond Hip-Hop
"Lose Yourself" spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, became the first rap song to win an Academy Award, and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA. It endures because it is not really about rap. It is about the single moment where preparation meets opportunity, and every excuse falls away.
Love Me (feat. Obie Trice & 50 Cent)
From the 8 Mile soundtrack. While "Lose Yourself" won the Oscar, this track quietly introduced the world to the Shady Records roster. 50 Cent's verse was one of his earliest mainstream appearances, recorded months before Get Rich or Die Tryin' made him the biggest rapper on the planet.
Love Me, Eminem ft. Obie Trice & 50 Cent (2002)
Read the lyrics while you listen. While "Lose Yourself" won the Oscar, this track quietly introduced the Shady Records roster. 50 Cent's verse was one of his earliest mainstream appearances.
How was the guitar riff in "Lose Yourself" originally created?
The Oscar is on the shelf. Now Eminem has a different kind of power. He picks up the phone and signs a kid from Queens who just survived nine bullets.
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