Music3 min(s) read
Published 08:57 22 Apr 2026 GMT
The iconic rapper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2022, after over two decades at the top of the hip-hop game.
But in typical Eminem fashion, he took the opportunity to pay tribute to - and there's no other way of putting this - drugs.
Now 53, the 'Not Afraid' rapper has been open about his struggles with substances in the past, both in interviews and in some of his songs.
While being inducted, he admitted that he shouldn't have been picked as he's a rapper and not a rock star.
Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, performed some of his hits after explaining that he had almost fallen victim to his drug issue in the past.
Luckily for him and his fans, he would win the battle against drugs, which would inspire the creation of his Recovery album.
He spoke briefly about the experience during his acceptance speech, admitting that the situation "kind of sucked."
Mathers said that while he almost died, the "drugs were f***ing delicious."
Speaking at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles back in November 2022, Slim Shady told his daughter Hailie to cover her ears before making the candid admission.
According to the Daily Mail, he stated at the time: "Music basically saved my life… I’ll keep this as painless as possible, I’m f***ing stuttering and s**t. I’m probably not supposed to actually be here tonight because of a couple of reasons.
"One of them that I'm a rapper, and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there's only a few of us right now that have been inducted in already, but there's only a few of us.
"Secondly, I almost died from an overdose in 2007, which kind of sucked,
"Hailie, plug your ears: because drugs were f***ing delicious, and I thought we had a good thing going man, but I had to go and f*** it all up and take too many. God damn. Okay, Hailie, open your ears."
Eminem has been sober since April 20, 2008, with Monday marking 18 years of sobriety for the artist.
The rapper praised and thanked over 100 other artists who influenced him over the years, hoping that they would be considered for future inductions, admitting that "without them, a lot of us wouldn't be here."
He added: "This induction is meant to be me, talking about myself and shit but f*ck that. I would not be here without them.
"I’m a high-school dropout with a hip-hop education and these were my teachers."
Eminem's mentor, collaborator and friend, Dr. Dre, inducted him into the Hall of Fame.
He said that the rapper's "gifts were undeniable," though joked that when he found out the rapper was white, it "completely f***ed me up".
Dr. Dre, real name Andre Young, said that he was discouraged from signing the rapper in the late 1990s by music higher-ups.
However, he stayed confident in the rapper and even admitted: "Each of us was what the other one needed and I was willing to bet my entire career on it."
