Two rap icons in one award show! Eminem and Snoop Dogg gave an innovative award show performance of their latest single “From the D 2 The LBC” at the 2022 MTV VMAs on Sunday, August 28. The iconic rappers ushered in the “Best Metaverse Performance” award with a jaw-dropping performance, complete with a fully animated performance with the rapper’s avatars rocking the stage before the real thing rapped for the crowd, just months after they rocked the Super Bowl halftime show together.
Before launching into the track, the two rappers sat on a couch together, and Snoop smoked a comically large joint, before Eminem acted like he was falling asleep from the smoke. A video was then shown of animated versions of the pair performing in a 3-D animated rendering of the VMA stage.
Slim Shady and Snoop dropped the new Eminem-produced tune in June, but it may not be the only new song that the hip-hop icons have up their sleeves. Em, Snoop and their shared-mentor Dr. Dre shared a group photo of them in the studio, so maybe they have a few more great new tunes in the lab cooking for after their VMA performance.
Of course, the VMA performance comes just six months after Snoop and Eminem rocked the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Anderson Paak. Eminem performed his signature song “Lose Yourself,” while Snoop joined Dre on “The Next Episode”, “California Love” and “Still D.R.E.”
Neither Eminem or Snoop are strangers to the VMAs. “The Real Slim Shady” rapper has won 13 Moonmen over the past 23 years. Em took home his first award in 1999 for Best New Artist, and his most recent win was in 2014 with Best Editing for “Rap God.” The performance with Snoop is a perfect full-circle moment, as he made his first performance with Snoop and Dre at the 1999 show, performing a medley of songs including “My Name Is”, “Guilty Conscience”, and “Nuthin’ But A G Thang.”
Snoop got to do his first performance (as Snoop Doggy Dogg) at the 1994 VMAs when he performed the song “Murder Was the Case” from his debut record. Out of eight nominations, the “Gin and Juice” rapper has taken home two Moonmen, with his first being in 1994 for Best Rap Video for his track “Doggy Dogg World.” His most recent win came in 2015 for Best Direction for his “So Many Pros” video.