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Eminem is one of the most popular artists in music history, and the man has had a career for the ages. During that time, Eminem has received coverage for a variety fo things. He's had plenty of feuds, controversial moments, and a set of albums that changed the rap game forever.
During the early part of the 2000s, Eminem had just broken out as an artist, and he was pulling no punches. At the 2002 VMAs, things went sideways, and Eminem left a controversial stamp on the event.
Let's take a look at the Rap God and that infamous awards ceremony.
What Happened To Eminem At The MTV Music Awards?
When looking at the biggest and most popular rappers in the history of modern music, there are few who come close to matching the type of sustained success that Eminem has had.
February 1999 saw the release of Eminem's first major album, and in the 23 years that have followed, he has continued to be a force of nature in the music industry. The man has dropped countless hits, has released many classic albums, and has outsold every other rapper in the history of the genre.
He has accomplished anything and everything a rapper could hope for, and it has encompassed his life. In fact, he has stated that he doesn't know what he'll do when he calls it a career.
"Rap music is really, I don't know anything else, you know? So I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't rap anymore. I'll probably f****** jump out a window or something. I don't know what I'm going to do," he told Complex.
Eminem has done many great things, but he's also had his share of controversies.
He Caused A Stir At The 2002 VMAs
The 2002 VMAs were quite the spectacle. This, mind you, was during a time when people still cared about the event, and many stars piled into the venue to see if they were walking away with what was still considered a coveted prize.
During that evening, Eminem won plenty of awards, and he also managed to ruffle more than a few feathers with his behavior.
As MTV noted shortly after the event, "The controversial rapper lived up to his billing, approaching Moby — a target of past Eminem lyrical jabs — while the techno star was being interviewed and he thrust a middle finger into his face just out of camera range."
This was just one incident that took place during the event, and things got worse later on.
"When the camera and interviewer — beloved "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" character Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — then turned their attention to Em, the rapper pushed the puppet aside and a member of his entourage tossed the comic's notes into the air," the site continued.
Two incidents was surely the end of it, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, Eminem would once again turn his attention to Moby,
"Shortly thereafter, Eminem won the night's Best Male Video award, and taunted Moby from the stage, calling him a "little girl" and warning the bespectacled artist, "I will hit a man with glasses,'" MTV reported.
As you can imagine, this didn't go over well.
Fans Were Shocked At Eminem
Eminem's actions that evening were met with a ton of boos, and reactions from fans were mixed. Some applauded the rapper for keeping it real, while others were shocked and disgusted with his behavior.
Moby, who was a frequent target that night, took to his website to express how he felt about everything.
"The truth is that I honestly, in all sincerity, thought that the whole Eminem thing was done in some semblance of humor until Eminem called me a pu--- (that was off camera) and then threatened to beat me up. I think that Eminem is talented and interesting but I'm kind of stunned at the anger that he has for me seeing as I'd never met him up until last night," he wrote.
Years after the event, Eminem would discuss it in an interview, realizing that he should have handled things differently.
"All my life I'd been trained to react. ... My instinct was, if someone talks about you, you see them, you fight. But MOBY? Really? I was going to fight MOBY? And I was going to fight a puppet? In hindsight, I should have handled it differently," the rapper said.
The 2002 VMAs remain an infamous event largely thanks to Eminem wanting to beat up Moby, a musician most people have completely forgotten about.
