I probably shouldn't admit this so publicly, but my first email address in life was eminemz_babi@hotmail.com. That's right: I spelt those words with a "Z" and an "I". As you can tell, I was pretty cool.
I was somewhat obsessed with the man. I had a giant Eminem poster on my bedroom wall for most of my teenage years, 8 Mile was one of my favourite films and there definitely came a point when I could recite, word for word, for better or worse, the entire Marshall Mathers LP. (I could keep up as well – it was a sight to behold, I can tell you.)
Yet, despite the Detroit rapper being the man of my 13-year-old self’s dreams, I’d never seen him live… Until last night, when he brought his Kamikaze world tour to Abu Dhabi’s du Arena, his first live show since March. The fact that I was there to review the concert would have no doubt blown that little girl’s mind.
Read more: Eminem concert organisers respond to complaints about delays
So did the performance by Marshall Bruce Mathers III live up to that teenager’s expectations? In a word: yes. Once we were all safely inside and Eminem hit the stage with fellow Detroit rapper Denaun Porter, the atmosphere was electric.
As more of a fan of his older stuff (I had admittedly lost interest by the time he was collaborating with the likes of Beyonce and Ed Sheeran), for me it was a show of two halves. At first, there were quite a few of his newer tunes that I – and other older, nearby fans – didn’t really recognise, although the much younger fanbase around me clearly did.
He started off with Greatest, from his latest album Kamikaze, which came out in August 2018. Then he and Porter took us through songs like Won't Back Down, on 2010's Recovery, and 3am from 2009's Relapse: Refill, but with a few golden oldies for good measure, such as 2000's Kill You from the Marshall Mathers LP (my inner 13-year-old rejoiced) and White America and Sing for the Moment, both from 2002's The Eminem Show. The full setlist is here.
While I enjoyed this portion of the show, for me it really got started at song 15, when he played The Way I Am, again from The Marshall Mathers LP. This is one I'd quite possibly choose to put on a soundtrack of my life. After that, the beautiful American singer Skylar Grey graced the stage and performed 2017's Walk on Water, followed by one of my all-time favourites, Stan, and the song that would consequently get stuck in my head for the next 12 hours: 2010's Love the Way You Lie.
What really struck me was the energy Eminem displayed on-stage. The National's music expert, Saeed Saeed, who has seen the rapper perform on four occasions – including the last time he was at du Arena in 2012 – says this is actually something new. "This is the first time that I've seen Eminem really enjoying himself onstage," he told me after the show. "Normally, Eminem, when he performs he's very broody, very intense and his intensity makes the show great. But this time he was very open, there was lots of crowd interaction – and that's a new side of him. I think he's now enjoying performing and he's really stepped up his game when it comes to his showmanship."
His show is energetic and he can move a crowd emotionally
While I felt Porter actually did most of the talking, Eminem did chime in at times. He made countless references to Abu Dhabi (the name, not exactly the place itself – there wasn’t much commentary) and there was a moment that saw him running across the stage, encouraging the crowds on both sides to scream and go wild. “You might be louder than the last time we were here,” he shouted. “No disrespect to the last crowd!”
The fact that we were louder might be because this show was actually better, according to those who attended both. Not that the last one wasn’t good, it is just that this one had more energy, a more expansive set list (he has released three more albums since then, after all) and a genuinely revived performer.
“Normally hip-hop artists are all about party songs, working the crowd, and bling bling,” adds Saeed. “The way Eminem writes has an emotional edge to it and you don’t find that in hip-hop shows. His show is energetic and he can move a crowd emotionally.”
That's why he has so many superfans, one of whom is Maria Stapleton, a former UAE resident who flew in from Scotland just to see the show. She had not seen him perform live for 18 years and was worried he wouldn't be as good as he was the last time she saw him. But, she says, "he excelled". "My favourite song was Not Afraid, very closely followed by Lose Yourself, because everybody got involved with those two and it felt like a real concert.
“What made it for me, though, was the guy in the crowd who looked like Stan!” He really did – and he appeared on the big screens numerous times throughout the night seemingly showing off the tattoo of Eminem’s name he has across his chest (just like Stan!).
One of my own personal favourite moments was when he, Porter and the DJ, The Alchemist, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, took a selfie together onstage with the crowd in the background.
The ultimate pinnacle of the evening, however, was the firework display that rounded off his encore, 2002's Lose Yourself.
Granted, in terms of event organisation there were glaring hiccups, particularly when it came to queue management, but I don't think many people can argue that Eminem put on a fantastic show – one my 13-year-old self would have been proud of.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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The specs
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Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
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Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
WWE Super ShowDown results
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
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Results
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions