Film + TV

Eminem didn't lip-sync on Saturday Night Live, except for when he did

by Tyler Munro

Eminem got some shit for his Saturday Night Live performance this past weekend with detractors saying he was lip-syncing, and since today is the release of his long awaited Marshall Mathers LP 2, his reps were quick to defend the performance. Basically, he wasn’t lip-syncing… except for when he was.

Thing is, this is pretty common in hip-hop, especially on a show like Saturday Night Live, whose acoustics are terrible more often than not. His people told E! News that he was rapping with “accent tracks,” adding that “he only does it sporadically through the songs,” and in hindsight, that’s fair. Unfortunately for Em, the damage might be done. His new album dropped today, and a big part of its push is his supposed supremacy as an MC. “Rap God” reminded us of just how blistering he could spit, and “Love Game” had him and Kendrick goofing with style. Thinking logically, this isn’t a big deal. That he had to cheat a bit doesn’t mean he’s lost his talent—it’s not like Rick Rubin was actually doing anything—but consumers rarely think logically. Saturday Night Live was supposed to help promotion; that his reps are doing damage control might say the opposite.

“Berzerk” is the song that’s drawing all the ire: let us know if he what he did was cool with you. Below, watch him do “Survival” with Skylar Grey.