Eight-time nominee Eminem opened the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards with an earth-cracking performance of "Not Afraid" followed by "Love the Way You Lie." Rihanna, who had announced that she wasn't going to make it, promptly joined Eminem, starting off his second song for the night.http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/09/12/mtv-vmas-2010-live-blog/ While his eight nominations gave the rapper the chance to cross the stage on multiple occasions, it was his performance which could take him there first. Even though Eminem's choice of song or songs had been kept a secret, the MTV General Manager Stephen Friedman said they felt he was the best choice to kick the show off.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647438/20100909/eminem.jhtml The theme of his performance was “triumph” as 2010 had been the year of triumph for the singer in his battle to overcome addiction and top the charts in the music industry. Eminem is the most nominated male for the 2010 Music Video Awards.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647560/20100910/eminem.jhtml Promos before the award show were released on MTV showing Eminem escaping a car before an explosion and falling into a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Eminem's performance was promoted as a story of both his music and his life.http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/09/03/eminem-mtv-vma-promo-video/

Eminem was described by MTV as "intense," like "a boxer in the best shape of his career." Rihanna also helped provide goosebump moments for the show, particularly when she sang the chorus of "Love the Way You Lie."http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/09/12/video-music-awards-2010-live-blog/

This was not Eminem’s first shot at kicking off the VMA event. In 2000, the show started with Eminem leading a pack of hundreds of bleached blond, blue jean clad “Slim Shady” clones into the show. http://rapfix.mtv.com/2010/09/09/eminems-top-5-mtv-video-music-awards-performances/ Other previous Eminem performances at the VMA awards include his 2002 performance, where he performed two songs. After his rendition of “White America" he returned to the stage for an emotional performance of “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” and rapping “I’m sorry Ma’ma, I never meant to hurt you.” His 2004 performance included the song “Mockingbird” with pictures of the musician and his daughter shown while he performed.http://rapfix.mtv.com/2010/09/09/eminems-top-5-mtv-video-music-awards-performances/

The 2010 VMAs took take place on September 12, 2010 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The event, televised on MTV, aired live at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time and was shown tape delayed in the Pacific Time zone. In addition to Eminem, the show included performances by Kanye West, Linkin Park, Usher and Justin Bieber, among others.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647438/20100909/eminem.jhtml