Before Eminem became one of the biggest names in rap, he was just another hungry artist trying to break into the music industry — even working as a background extra in music videos to get noticed.
One of the most surprising cameos from his early days was in a music video by metal band Korn. Yes, Eminem was an extra in Korn’s video for their 1990s hit “Got the Life.”
Back in the mid-90s, Eminem was still finding his footing. He had started his music journey in 1988, eventually forming the group Soul Intent, which released an EP in 1995. Around this time, he was working hard to get his name out there — and doing whatever it took, including background roles in music videos just to get closer to the music scene.
In 1997, Eminem was still struggling. He had been fired from his job and evicted from his house. He recorded the Slim Shady EP and traveled to Los Angeles to compete in the Rap Olympics, hoping for a big break. But in the meantime, he needed money — and background acting helped keep the lights on, even if it didn’t pay much.
According to Korn guitarist Munky, Eminem even handed him a demo on the set of the video.
“There were some extras on the set of our video ‘Got the Life.’ Some kid came up to me and gave me his demo,” Munky recalled in a 2014 interview. “I was really drunk… 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 was Eminem.”
Just a couple of years later, everything changed. In 1999, Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, which went triple platinum and launched him into superstardom. His rise was fast — and so was the controversy that came with it — but by the end of the 1990s, Eminem had become a global rap icon.
