Metaphysic Brings Slim Shady Back in AI-Powered Live Performance at VMAs

Shady’s back thanks to the technical artistry and artificial intelligence (AI) powered mastery of Metaphysic, who recreated a live performance of Eminem’s 1999 alter ego onstage at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards held at the UBC Arena in New York. Metaphysic also won an historic Best Visual Effects Award alongside production company Synapse and director Rich Lee for Eminem’s 'Houdini' video, the first ever VFX VMA awarded for a digital character recreated by artists using an AI-powered pipeline. Metaphysic is a creative studio that combines generative AI technology and human artistry to achieve stunning photoreal digital facial recreations.

“It’s so amazing to work together with Marshall hand in hand to re-create this character using our Generative AI tools and artistry,” said Tom Graham, CEO, Metaphysic. 

In the video, which was also awarded the best Hip-Hop VMA, Eminem’s iconic alter ego, Slim Shady, makes a dramatic return, stepping out of a portal from the past to save Marshall Mathers’ career. The video, featuring cameos from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Pete Davidson and more, explores the duality of Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers, culminating in a rooftop standoff where the two characters merge into a unified Eminem. Metaphysic’s work on this video, overseen by VFX supervisor Jo Plaete, was to faithfully recreate Slim Shady using AI, capturing his youthful appearance with his signature bleached hair, which posed significant technical challenges.

To achieve the high fidelity required, the team at Metaphysic trained AI models on data from Slim Shady’s late '90s prime. In the music video, Marshall Mathers played both himself and Slim Shady, with the AI synthesising the latter’s iconic look. During Eminem’s VMA live performance, a stand-in performed Slim Shady’s dance moves, while the Metaphysic face swap was applied in real time, in-camera for broadcast viewers and on a large screen for the live audience. This approach resulted in a believable recreation of Slim Shady that could stand up to close scrutiny. 

The success of this project was not just in the technology but also in the collaboration between the AI double and human performances. The convincing performances allowed the AI models to capture and enhance the nuances of Slim Shady’s look and behaviour. The final product was a seamless blend of performance and technology, bringing Slim Shady back to life in a way that resonated strongly with fans.

Completed in just under three weeks, the 'Houdini' music video was a technical achievement that showcased the potential of AI in visual effects. The video went viral, receiving millions of views and widespread acclaim for its innovative use of technology to recreate one of the most recognisable personas in hip-hop history.