In 2003, Eminem made history by becoming the first rapper to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song with “Lose Yourself.” However, he was not present at the ceremony. Instead, he was reportedly asleep at home in Detroit after watching cartoons with his daughter. His keyboard player, Luis Resto, accepted the award on his behalf from Barbra Streisand, which led to widespread curiosity among the audience regarding Resto’s identity.
Upon being informed of his win by Resto, Eminem’s initial reaction was one of surprise and a desire to return to sleep. He later admitted that he was unaware that a song could win an Oscar and did not believe a rapper had a realistic chance against established artists like U2 and Paul Simon, or the Chicago soundtrack. He perceived the Oscars as an institution that did not typically recognize individuals from his background.
Despite his absence, “Lose Yourself” achieved significant acclaim, becoming a 13x Platinum certified song, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 consecutive weeks, and being recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.
Seventeen years later, in 2020, Eminem made a surprise appearance at the Oscars to perform “Lose Yourself,” subsequently tweeting, “Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.” This moment highlighted that the first rapper to win an Oscar had initially missed his own recognition because he genuinely did not envision such an achievement as possible for himself.
