Eminem Performs ‘Houdini,’ ‘Rap God’ at at Crawford vs. Madrimov Match

Eminem took the stage for a rare performance at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium last night, running through a medley of hits at the start of the WB junior middleweight boxing match between Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov.

The rapper, who most recently released his chart-topping 12th album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce),” performed in support of Crawford, who he previously walked out at a match in Las Vegas last year. The 15-minute set took place before the square-off, with Em opening the set with his latest single “Houdini.”

He hit double speed during “Rap God” before shouting out his choice boxer. “Yo California, make some motherfuckin’ noise for Terence Crawford!” he declared, running through “Till I Collapse” featuring the late Nate Dogg and playing a brief snippet of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” It culminated in the appropriately picked “Cinderella Man” and concluded with the perennial hype song “Lose Yourself.”

Crawford won the match with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 to become a four-division champion. He told ESPN, “Israil was a tough competitor. I knew he was going to be tough. … He’s real strong, he’s durable, he took a lot of good shots and he got me to Round 12. … He had fast feet, good rhythm upstairs. … He was waiting to counter me just like I was trying to counter him.”

Em’s performance is the latest surrounding “The Death of Slim Shady.” In June, he gave a surprise four-song set at “Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central,” a hometown event featuring Diana Ross, Big Sean, Jack White and more to celebrate the grand reopening of Michigan Central Station. Last month, he took the stage alongside Dr. Dre in London for the launch of his mentor’s Gin & Juice drinks line.