Eminem welcomed Barack Obama to the stage while appearing at a Kamala Harris rally in Michigan just two weeks before the 2024 presidential election. The Grammy-winning rapper and former Democratic president briefly shared the spotlight on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Detroit as they rallied support for Harris’ campaign ahead of Election Day.
After being introduced by Eminem, Obama began his speech by quoting the rapper’s 2002 hit song, “Lose Yourself.” “I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem,” Obama remarked at the podium. “I noticed, my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, Mom’s spaghetti.”
As the crowd roared in response to the lyrics, Obama continued rapping, delivering more lines from Eminem’s Grammy-winning single: “I’m nervous but on the surface I look calm and ready, to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting …” He ended his light-hearted tribute by humming the famous intro and adding, “I love me some Eminem.”
Before Obama’s speech, Eminem shared his thoughts on why he was there that night, explaining that he had “written down a few things” he wanted to say. “As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me,” said Eminem. “Going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever, and I think it’s important to use your voice, so I’m encouraging everybody to get out and vote, please.”
Eminem, who has been a vocal supporter of the Biden-Harris ticket, also shared his views on the importance of free speech and expressing political opinions without fear of retribution. “I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution of what people will do if you make your opinion known,” he continued. “I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld.”
The rapper’s support for Harris is not new. He previously backed Obama’s political career and endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket during the 2020 presidential campaign. Eminem even released an official campaign ad for Biden and Harris the day before the last election, which featured his iconic track “Lose Yourself” with the caption, “One opportunity… #Vote.”
Eminem has long been a vocal critic of Donald Trump. In October 2017, he delivered a scathing, nearly five-minute freestyle at the BET Awards, dissing Trump and condemning his comments on the White nationalist rally in Charlottesville and his attacks on NFL player protests. Eminem called Trump a “b—-” in his freestyle titled “The Storm” and continued his criticism with another song in 2017, “Framed,” where he rapped, “That’s an awfully hot coffee pot/Should I drop it on Donald Trump? Probably not/But that’s all I got till I come up with a solid plot.”
In his 2018 track “The Ringer,” Eminem revealed that the Secret Service had visited him after “Framed” was released, following a report that he may have threatened the president. “‘Cause Agent Orange just sent the Secret Service/To meet in person to see if I really think of hurting him,” he rapped in the song.
At the time, documents obtained by BuzzFeed confirmed that the Secret Service had flagged Eminem’s lyrics for “exhibiting inappropriate behavior” and considered his language a potential threat to the president. Despite these controversies, Eminem has continued to speak out against Trump while endorsing Democratic candidates like Harris.
As Election Day draws near, this rally in Detroit served as a major moment for both Eminem and Obama to energize voters in Michigan, a key battleground state. With their combined star power, they encouraged everyone to make their voices heard at the polls.
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