Rap legends, Snoop Dogg and Eminem delivered an out-of-this-world concert experience to fans and viewers of the MTV Video Music Awards. The duo performed their new song, “From the D2 the LBC,” but surprised fans when the show took them inside the metaverse. The song was released on Eminem’s greatest hits compilation album, “Curtain Call 2” and earned a nomination for “best hip-hop” video.
The performance began with the rappers sitting on a couch with an oversized joint before they were transported into the metaverse as apes. The futuristic display was done in a similar fashion to the song’s music video and was billed as a “first-of-its-kind performance.”
The music video was directed by James Larese, who has worked with other artists including fellow rapper Logic as well as the girl group, Fifth Harmony. Larese has also developed original content for major networks such as Disney, MTV, ESPN and HBO, according to his website.
While gracing the Otherside meta-stage, the duo could be seen morphing into Ape NFT-like characters. Otherside “is a gamified, interoperable metaverse currently under development,” according to the company’s website. The company offers the opportunity for people to play together in real time and allows NFTs to “become playable characters.”
Although the entire song was not performed in the metaverse, it was the first time two big names in entertainment performed in an alternate reality on a major stage. The duo’s time on-stage concluded with them realizing they were at the award show rather than the metaverse, so the morphing came to an end and the rappers continued performing as themselves.
After the performance, stoner legends Cheech Martin and Tommy Chong appeared onstage to present the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the Global Icon Award and couldn’t help but comment on the show. Chong jokingly stated, “we just wandered over here because we smelled that last performance.”
The 2022 VMAs was the first time in over a decade that either rapper performed at the annual event. MTV partnered with Yuga Labs to deliver this experience to the packed audience at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
