Eminem had a shot, a chance to grab what he wanted in a moment — and he grabbed it by joining his longtime friend and collaborator 50 Cent on stage over the weekend.
The “Lose Yourself” rapper made a surprise guest appearance Sunday, midway through 50 Cent’s concert in Eminem’s native Detroit, to perform “Patiently Waiting” and “Crack a Bottle.”
Immediately after finishing the song, Eminem spoke to his hometown crowd, “Oh, Detroit, don’t act like you don’t know I’m gonna be here!”
Later, 50 Cent shared a video of the moment in an Instagram post, writing, “Brother when I do something with EM people go crazy they know he’s really my boy. I love him to death!”
The clip features Eminem telling the audience, “Detroit, make some noise for one of the best friends I know — 50 Cent. And also, make some noise for hip-hop’s 50th birthday.
The “In the Club” rapper signed to Eminem’s Shady Records in 2002 after being dropped by Columbia Records. While with Shady, 50 Cent released his highly successful, Grammy-nominated debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” in 2003. He would drop four more albums with the label before calling it quits in 2014
In July, the Grammy winner spoke to XXL magazine about how Eminem has served as his mentor.
“Having Eminem around me helped me not have a big head at some point,” the “Just a Little Bit” singer said. “So while I’m doing 13 million records on my first album, I have ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ doing 23 million records. M, I put her next to my grandmother, and I’ll tell you why. He was always a place I could go and just talk to him and know he had my best interest at heart.”
He also noted that he constantly sought the “I’m Not Afraid” rapper’s approval for his music.
“I’d collect what I thought was dope, and then I’d come in and just press play and I’d see him. If I don’t get a response from him, I’ll really scrap the record,” 50 Cent said. “I won’t use it if he doesn’t respond to it and listen to the record so it means something.”
As for Eminem’s overall impact on the rap game, 50 Cent called it “immeasurable.”
“You can look at artists within the culture and say, ‘Well, we don’t listen to his records in nightclubs.’ He didn’t make those records for you to listen to them there,” he said.
“And if that’s the goal, we’re going to make one right now that will fuel your life. (Eminem’s) Top 40 crossover is playing all over the radio, and that’s a different energy. When that audience catches the art form and is drawn to it, they’re into that art. Buys other people’s art from the form.”