Eminem Wins Best Male Artist and Best Hip-Hop Video at VMAs

After Eminem's performance opening the VMAs with Rihanna, the legendary rapper quickly exited the building and missed a couple of big wins. Rather than performers thanking their fans onstage, the refrain of the night became "Eminem had to take a plane to New York to perform with Jay-Z." In addition to "Best Male Artist," Em walked away with the award for "Best Hip-Hop Video" for 'Not Afraid,' his lead single off the multi-platinum 'Recovery' album.

'Not Afraid' has been a massive success and reintroduced a more mature Eminem to fans all over the world. After an official release on May 3, the single shot to the top of the charts and previewed the success of 'Recovery,' which has spent seven non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Top 200 albums chart since its release.

We previewed the video with some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage back in August and it's been a YouTube favorite since its official release. 'Not Afraid' tackles Em's positive attitude towards life after a series of tumultuous years struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

"As I got sober I started rediscovering things about myself that I think I'd forgotten for so long or suppressed through my addiction," Eminem told The BoomBox at the time. "So, the whole theme of the record is that, as a person, I'm feeling better than I've ever felt."