Eminem and Snoop Dogg Took the 2022 VMAs to the Metaverse

Eminem and Snoop Dogg made waves at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards last night when they took the stage for their groundbreaking performance inside the metaverse.

The pair began performing “From The D 2 The LBC,” which is their first collaboration together in over 20 years, when all of a sudden, they were transported from the live stage to a psychedelic dreamland. They can be seen as animated characters before turning into Bored Apes.

Full performance of Snoop Dogg & Eminem featuring Bored Ape Yacht Club at the #VMA’s.

pic.twitter.com/KIqBpn5gw6

— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) August 29, 2022

It’s the “first metaverse-inspired performance to ever grace an award show,” according to a press release from Eminem.

Eminem paid an estimated $460,000 for his EminApe in January 2022, per Hypebeast, and Snoop joined the “Bored Ape Yacht Club” in December 2021. “When I APE in I APE all the way in!!,” Snoop tweeted at the time.

However, some fans of the rappers weren’t happy with their innovative performance.

It was disappointing for fans not seeing Em performing physically. I believe you all are disconnected with the fanbase wishes. We’re not cash machines, we are human beings. And the amazing pics of him you will drop as crumbs for the fans won’t change anything.

— Daphne (@ShadyDaphne) August 29, 2022

Another added, “Eminem and Snoop performing as NFTs in the metaverse. I hate everything about this.”

On the other hand, some praised the performance for bringing awareness to the technology.

Seeing a lot of fud around the Snoop dog x Eminem vma performance but they did a great job exercising the power of digital ownership. Showed them irl/a digital avatar of themselves in the metaverse.. compared to their NFT avatar. (which is definitely cooler in my opinion)

— ɢɪʀᴛᴀɪɴꜱʙʀᴀɪɴ.ᴇᴛʜ

“The music #NFT industry took a huge step forward with the performance of @SnoopDogg and @Eminem #web3,” Turner Blockchain echoed.

Despite the mixed reactions to the rappers’ performance, the metaverse was a big theme of the evening, with BLACKPINK taking home the first-ever award for “Best Metaverse Performance.”