Eminem Was in Korn’s “Got the Life” Video Before He Was Famous
Hey, remember awhile back when we learned that before she was famous, Katy Perry used to be a back-up singer — er, “support vocalist” — for P.O.D.? Yeah well this story is kinda like that story, only less embarrassing for Katy Perry.
It turns out that back in 1998, before anyone knew who he was, a young Marshall Mathers — a.k.a. Eminem — was in Korn’s video for “Got the Life.”
The revelation comes via a 2014 interview with Kornholers Jonathan Davis (vocals), James “Munky” Shaffer (guitar), and Brian “Head” Welch (also guitar). But nobody caught it in 2014, and then for whatever reason Noisecreep just put it together, so we’re talking about it now. I’d feel bad about this, but I have never willingly watched a Korn interview in my life, so there’s just no way I’d ever have seen this thing on my own. As for why nobody else noticed, well, I blame woke liberals.
ANYWAY, it’s Mr. Munky who breaks the big news during the course of the interview:
“There were some extras on the set of our video ‘Got the Life.’ Some kid came up to me and gave me his demo. I was really drunk and I was like [out of it]. He’s like, ‘Hey, check it out, I’m a rapper.’ I’m like, ‘I’m just a guitar player.’ It turned out that kid that was on our video was Eminem. He was an extra in that video. I vaguely remember that happening.”
Then Head pipes in, facetiously:
“Thanks a lot, man. Would could’ve been billionaires. We could’ve signed him before Dre.”
Thing is, if you look at the timeline, whatever Eminem slipped Munky was probably a rough mix and not a demo, and he was likely fishing for a support slot on a Family Values tour or whatever and not looking for a record deal. ‘Cause the “Got the Life” video was released in November of ’98, and Eminem’s breakthrough album, The Slim Shady LP, was released in February of ’99. And this would be still be the old days, when technology was cruder and the entire industry moved at a somewhat slower pace.
I’m saying Slim Shady was almost certainly recorded already by the time Eminem walked onto the set of “Life.”
Still. Neat story.
You can watch both the “Got the Life” video and the 2014 Korn interview below.
Korn will release a new album, Requiem, on February 4 via Loma Vista. Listen to the first single, “Start the Healing,” here.
I’m not sure what Eminem is up to right now but it’s probably something way more exciting than a blink-and-you-‘ll-miss-it appearance in a Korn video.
