Late-Night Hosts Respond to Obama’s Eminem Rap: ‘Killed It’
Barack Obama showcased his rap skills earlier this week, performing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at a rally for Kamala Harris. Late-night hosts were delighted by the viral moment, taking multiple opportunities to comment on the former president’s ability to spit a verse.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert noted that the candidates are pulling out “all the big guns,” which means big endorsements like Eminem. Colbert recounted how Obama followed Eminem’s speaking, commenting, “I gotta say, he seemed a little starstruck.”
More from Rolling Stone
“Was that song Osama Bin Laden because Obama just killed it,” Colbert quipped of Obama’s performance.
On The Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon played a clip of Obama’s impromptu performance. “That’s right,” he said. “The crowd loved it while Sasha and Malia were like, ‘Well, we lost our votes.'”
Michael Kosta, hosting The Daily Show last night, was impressed by how “polite” Eminem was in his speech. “And Em didn’t even perform, but that’s okay because he was just the warm-up to Barack Obama, the real rapper of the night,” Kosta told the late-night audience. He added, “It’s nice to see Obama pay homage to Eminem because it means that Black people have finally accepted that Eminem is the greatest rapper of all time.”
Eminem spoke at a rally for Harris in Detroit, encouraging folks to vote while highlighting the importance of freedom of speech. “The city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me 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 told the crowd. “I also think that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and 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.”
In 2020, Eminem threw his support behind President Joe Biden in the final days of the campaign, allowing Biden to use “Lose Yourself” in an ad.
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
