On This Day in 2003, Eminem Made Music History With an Award He Didn’t Show up To Receive

On this day (March 23) in 2003, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” from the 8 Mile soundtrack won Best Original Song at the 75^th Annual Academy Awards. More than a huge win for the Detroit native, the award made music history. However, he didn’t attend the ceremony because he didn’t believe he would win.

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“Lose Yourself” had some stiff competition in the Best Original Song category. “Burn It Blue” by Elliot Goldenthal and Julie Taymor from Frida, “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon from The Wild Thornberrys Movie, and “The Hands That Built America” by U2 from Gangs of New York were also nominated. At the time, Eminem didn’t believe that a rap song could win an Academy Award. As a result, he chose not to attend the Oscars. In fact, he wasn’t even watching the broadcast.

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“I was sleeping that night,” he said when asked if he was watching the Oscars. “I just felt like I had no chance of winning. When I heard I was nominated, I thought that was for actors. I wasn’t sure what was what,” he explained. “At that point in my life, I felt like rap never got its fair shake on anything,” he added.

That evening, “Lose Yourself” became the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Eminem Eventually Attended the Oscars

While Eminem chose to skip the Oscars, his co-writer, Luis Resto, attended the ceremony and accepted the award. “This all goes to Marshall,” he began. “He’s creative. He has symphonies in his head that I’m privileged to put on tape. He’s a good man. Good heart,” he said of the rap legend.

Eighteen years later, in February 2020, Eminem attended the 92^nd Annual Academy Awards to perform “Lose Yourself.” The surprise appearance came after a retrospective of iconic Best Original Song winners presented by Lin-Manuel Miranda, according to People. The final moments of the segment featured a clip from 8 Mile. Then the camera cut to the stage where the rapper, backed by an orchestral band, took the stage via a rising platform.

Afterward, he took to social media to post. “Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me [Academy Awards]. Sorry, it took me 18 years to get there.”

Featured Image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic