Eminem launches contest, $313 payouts for out-of-work Michigan DJs

Eminem is reaching out to Michigan DJs affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and offering them a shot at cash payouts and a national radio platform. 

The Detroit rapper phoned in to Friday's "Sway in the Morning" program on his SiriusXM channel, Shade45, and announced details of the newly launched "Love Your DJ" contest. 

Through his Marshall Mathers Foundation, Eminem is reaching out to Michigan DJs who are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic and asking them to submit their best mixes via Soundcloud to the link here. 

The first 500 entrants will receive a $313 cash prize. (Doing the math, that's $156,500 in payouts.) Of those entrants, 15 grand-prize winners will be chosen by a panel of Shady Records judges and will have a chance to perform on Shade45 as part of a special "Love Your DJ" mix show, beginning May 2.

Em also announced he will be hosting a "Music To Be Quarantined By" special beginning at noon on May 2, featuring songs he suggests listening to while locked down at home. The special borrows its name from Em's "Music to be Murdered By," the studio album he surprise-released in January. 

The "Love Your DJ" contest is open now and ends at noon Wednesday. Full full rules and eligibility, click here. 

Eminem made news earlier this week when he sent frontline workers at a pair of Detroit hospitals cups of Mom's Spaghetti, a dish with roots stretching back to 2002's "8 Mile" and Em's Oscar-winning hit "Lose Yourself." 

agraham@detroitnews.com

@grahamorama