Eminem Is Back, But After T In The Park: Can He Still Rap?

It was meant to be Eminem's big comeback. The moment when, after five years away, the US rapper famed returned to the stage in the UK to remind fans just what they had been missing out on.

But instead, Eminem's performance at last weekend's T In The Park festival in Scotland looks set to remembered for a very different reason: the suggestion that he mimed most of his set.

Fans were quick to make the claim not long after the rapper left the main stage on Saturday night having played a 29-song showcase which featured hits from his entire career – from the 8 Mile classic 'Lose Yourself' to recent single 'Not Afraid'.

In Gigwise's comments section, it was one of our readers, Jack, who headed the charge, describing Eminem's alleged miming as “awful”. Not pausing for breath, he added: “At one point he tried to say something and his mic was off. Disgusted!”  And when official video footage finally emerged having initially been blocked by the rapper's management (a move which only provoked the claims further), the accusations continued.

“He was miming....just watched it...pathetic,” Bazarooney said, while James simply described it as “very lazy”.

There was understandably, however, for a rapper whose new album 'Recovery' sold over 700,000 copies in its first week in the US recently, also a lot of support, with a number of die-hard fans insisting that Eminem was merely using a backing track in Scotland. There were also many who – above all – were simply just happy to have him back.

And I count myself in that category. Having been a fan of Eminem since the release of 1999's 'The Slim Shady LP', and continued to follow his career from the highs of its follow-up 'The Marshall Mathers LP' to the lows of his stint in drug rehab in the mid-00s, T In The Park was a momentous moment: the moment when Eminem returned to regain his hip-hop crown.

Yet, the accusations that he mimed or, as I believe, used a backing track (which, as many readers have pointed out, is something he has always done) to enhance his performance, does raise questions of what really is a 'live' performance these days.

Does an artist or band have to sing to be considered 'live'? Or, as is the case for such bands as MGMT and The Drums, has the backing track become an necessary tool to help overcome those parts of a song that are impractical to perform live?

What do you think? Are artists short changing their fans by using one? Did Eminem mime at T In the Park? Leave your thoughts below...