Watch: Dr. Dre Inducts Eminem Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
By Tony M. Centeno
November 7, 2022
Eminem finally received the flowers he deserves after he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, November 5, the Real Slim Shady was welcomed into the coveted hall of fame by none other than the man who helped launch his career, Dr. Dre. The Aftermath founder delivered a humbling yet comical speech about Em from the time he first heard the Detroit native's bars to the everlasting impact his artist made on Hip-Hop overall.
“I knew that his gifts were undeniable,” Dre said. “Each of us was what the other one needed, and I was willing to bet my entire career on it.”
A tribute video that played midway through Dre's speech showed how Eminem's career evolved over the years. As they rehashed his biggest cultural moments and all the hits he made, the audience got to hear commentary from Busta Rhymes, Adele, Elton John, JAY-Z, Rihanna and more. Once Dre welcomed him to the stage, the ceremony turned into an epic performance of Eminem's classics. With Denaun Porter as his hype man and The Alchemist as his DJ, Eminem performed hits like "My Name Is," "Rap God," "Sing For The Moment" with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, "Stan" with Ed Sheeran on the guitar, "Forever" (without Drake), "Not Afraid" and more.
Following his performance, Eminem delivered a powerful acceptance speech. He reflected his own past issues with addiction and the controversy that followed him throughout his career. Most importantly, he paid homage to every rap pioneer who came before him.
"My musical influences, when they say it takes a village to raise a child, well it took a whole genre and culture to raise me," Em said. "They say success has many fathers, and that’s definitely true for me. So whatever my impact has been on hip-hop music, I never would’ve, or could’ve, done this shit without some of the groundbreaking artists I’m about to mention."
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 debuts on HBO on November 19. Read his full speech courtesy of Rolling Stone and see all the rap gods he mentioned below.