Jelly Roll thought it was "a joke" when Eminem's team reached out to ask him to perform with the rap legend.
Jelly Roll didn't believe Eminem wanted to duet with him
The 39-year-old country star and rapper had to pinch himself when he was invited by the 'Lose Yourself' hitmaker, 51, to perform 'Sing for the Moment' with him as a surprise for this month's 'Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central' special for NBC.
Speaking to 'Entertainment Tonight', he said: "When I think about coolest moments of my career, right now at the top, there has to be this thing that I got to go sing with Eminem in Detroit.
"I got to sing 'Sing for the Moment' with him, which is a record where he sampled Steven Tyler. I mean, just what an incredible night and I got to go do it in Detroit. It was unreal."
The 'Son of a Sinner' star - whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord - dubbed the duet the "coolest moment ever".
He recalled: "Em reached out, his team reached out and said, 'Would you be interested in doing this since he was already there doing the secret tribute?' I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a joke until I met Eminem himself.
"I thought I was being joked! I even know Eminem's manager. He's a friend of mine. He's really good to me. His name is Paul and I was like, 'Paul, don't play.' He was like, 'I swear.' And as soon as I met Eminem, it was like the coolest moment ever, man."
He confessed: "I was giddy, like a child.
"You could see it all over my performance. Just the kid in me. I thought the camera was off of me. So as soon as I get through singing, I'm like, whoa, I just let this steamroller out. It's really cool."
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