FUSE TV - Eminem Brings out Rihanna as Surprise Guest at Lollapalooza

Still scoring No. 1 hits after almost two decades in hip hop, Eminem has more than proven his longevity. But why he's stayed one of the scene's top players was more clear than ever as he closed Day 1 at Lollapalooza 2014. 

The rapper's headlining set sent social media ablaze when he surprised the crowd with an appearance by soon-to-be-tourmate Rihanna. (More on that momentarily.) 

But Marshall Mathers opened the set with a single spotlight shining solely on him. Casually dressed in shorts, a cap, zip-up hoodie and a T-shirt with LL Cool J's Bigger and Deffer (BAD) album cover on it, Em spit a no-frills snippet of The Marshall Mathers LP 2 intro track "Bad Guy" that set the tone for the entire performance.

With little fan interaction, Eminem paced the stage, more focused on technique than checking in on the crowd. Supported by hype man Mr. Porter and a full backing band, he knocked out snippets of semi-recognizable tracks like 2002's George Bush-bashing "Square Dance," his horror movie-referencing 2009 single "3 a.m." and 2003's upbeat "Business," while barely even looking at the crowd.

But the audience didn't need Em's constant attention. They were more than willing to support him through the first half of the set containing other semi-famous tracks, the most notable being recent MMLP2 single "Rap G-d." His 2000 hit "The Way I Am" signaled the halfway point of the set as well as Eminem getting more comfortable and, with that, turning to a more public-friendly section of the show.

Frequent collaborator Royce da 5'9'' came onto the stage dressed in a camouflage shirt and bright red hat. Together, he and Em performed "Fast Lane," a release off their joint Bad Meets Evil project.