If you thought Lady Gaga appearing in a 2005 episode of the MTV prank show Boiling Points before becoming famous was a strange coincidence, we have another pre-celebrity-status cameo on the music video-centric cable channel — this time involving rapper Eminem — that may pique your interest.
That’s right, a young Marshall Mathers was an extra on the set for the classic Korn music video for “Got the Life,” as Noisecreep pointed out. And it may have even been an early bid to catch a break into the mainstream.
Check out the music video for yourself and see if you can win in the niche game of “Where’s Mashall?” Well OK, if you’re really strapped for time, we’ll share the clip with you that gives the slowed-down breakdown of the rapper’s brief appearance.
“Got the Life” released to massive acclaim in 1998, becoming a staple in MTV’s Total Request Live, and was one of the main singles for Korn’s number one Billboard 200 album Follow the Leader.
Years later, Em’s brief appearance stood out to guitarist Munky, even though the metal musician was intoxicated for most of the filming of the video, as he would recall in a 2014 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,” Munky said. “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.”
It just goes to show: with a little elbow grease, persistence, some time, and a whole lot of mom’s spaghetti, you can achieve a lot in this life — maybe even your dreams one day — just like Eminem.