Bono Is Not Embarrassed About Losing Oscar Award To Eminem

Eminem is arguably the most successful rapper of all time. The Detroit native has done it all. Shady has even won an Oscar for his work on the 8 Mile soundtrack. Marshall Mathers commands respect in the music industry.

U2 is one of the most influential rock bands of the last several decades. Emerging from Ireland in the 1980s as a voice for social change, the group has evolved into one of the legendary acts of arena rock. Frontman Bono has held court with world leaders and become a huge activist for various causes.

The two influential acts have a lot in common. They also couldn’t be more different. That doesn’t mean there isn’t mutual respect. During an interview with Variety, Bono gave Eminem huge props for his work on the 8 Mile soundtrack, which incidentally beat a U2 song for an Oscar once.

“Oh, no. We’d never be embarrassed about beating (anyone)! Although I will say, (losing to) Eminem (in 2002, when U2 was nominated for a song from “Gangs of New York”), I have to be honest, that song, “Lose Yourself,” we were sitting there — he wasn’t even there — and it’s really an extraordinary song.

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I still had a tiny bit of humble, and there was a part of me there that was going, “Mmm. This will be hard. To win against that could backfire.” But we lost to a children’s animation, I think, for “Ordinary Love” (in 2013, when “Let It Go” won). But it had that incredible psychedelic line in it, didn’t it? [When Elsa sings, “My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around.”] So we had to let that go. … Look, at this point, you just want your song to get a chance to be heard, and this is a great vehicle for it.”

Eminem is on the ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. U2 was inducted back in 2005. Soon, the two legendary acts from completely different genres will stand shoulder to shoulder among music royalty.

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