Eminem performed “Lose Yourself,” the first hip hop song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The song was written for the 2002 film 8 Mile, in which Eminem played aspiring Detroit rapper Jimmy Smith Jr., known as B-Rabbit. “Lose Yourself” became the film’s signature song and was released as a single in October 2002.
At the 75th Academy Awards in 2003, the song won Best Original Song. Eminem did not attend the ceremony, so presenters Luis Resto and Jeff Bass accepted the award. The victory was a major milestone for hip hop at the Oscars.
The track also won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance. It is often confused with Eminem’s other major soundtrack songs, but “Lose Yourself” is specifically the Oscar-winning one.