Despite being at the top of the rap game, Eminem's personal life has been far from steady. In 2009, the Detroit native exposed his struggle with addiction (and an eventual stint in rehab) on his LP, Relapse. One year later, he dropped one of the most iconic albums of his career, Recovery, which is lauded for its vulnerability and accountability — and became a prime influence to the current generation of introspective rappers, including hit-makers like Machine Gun Kelly and NF.
In honor of hip-hop's 50th anniversary, revisit the evening Eminem won Best Rap Album for Recovery at the 2011 GRAMMYs. It marked his second win in a row in the category, as Relapse had won the year prior.
"Okay, this is crazy," Eminem said as he took the stage. After thanking all of those involved with the album, he gave a special shout-out to his "Love The Way You Lie" collaborator. "I want to thank Rihanna, too, for helping propel the album to where it's at right now."
Eminem went on to thank Interscope Records, Dr. Dre, his Aftermath Entertainment family, and his fans. Last but not least, Eminem had to give a shout out to his hometown: "What up, Detroit! Stand up!" he cheered.
To date, Eminem has won 15 GRAMMYs, six of which were for Best Rap Album. And though he and Rihanna didn't win any GRAMMYs together for their first collaboration
Press play on the video above to watch Eminem's complete acceptance speech for Best Rap Album at the 2011 GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.
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