Eminem recently headlined the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware.
According to ET Canada, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter Holly Maniatty was the real star of the show, though!
Eminem performed "Rap God," and Maniatty reminded us why she's the ASL God! One of the festival's patrons, Kate Starr Fillingame, uploaded a clip of Maniatty's interpretation skills on Facebook.
Maniatty's work was especially impressive as Eminem is known for his rapid rhymes and she kept up!
Twitter was certainly feeling it!
ASL interpreter at an Eminem gig. I love her energy! With Eminem's faster rapping style, this is certainly no easy feat. #Inclusive https://t.co/xgPWbcy2T2— Amy Jensen (@amyjensen00) June 21, 2018
Rapping in ASL… utterly awesome! @Eminem having someone sign his music is bloody fantastic!
Gotta love this guy, just a little bit more— Яσв Ɔнαρмαи (@GothicFrog) June 21, 2018
That's a workout regime right there….— ???? PanDeism ???? (@Pandeism) June 21, 2018
Maniatty ain't new to this; she's true to this. She has experience interpreting shows for the likes of Snoop Dogg, JAY-Z, Wu-Tang Clan and the Beastie Boys.
Maniatty's animated and engaging style of interpretation has a lot to do with her desire to be authentic to the rapper's story.
In a 2017 interview with CBC Radio, Maniatty recalled a poignant moment during a Wu-Tang performance.
“For example, when I was getting ready for the Wu-Tang show, they talk about riots in the street," she said. "And at that time, the Ferguson riots were just kind of finishing up, so, of course, your mind would jump there because that’s a current event, but you kind of have to take a moment.”
She also touched on how social issues have molded her own style of interpretation.
“Go see when that song was written, and see that they’re probably talking about the L.A. riots," Maniatty said. "And then think about something that’s more iconic about the L.A. riots in terms of visual accessibility and kind of build your interpretation that way to make it as authentic and close to the meaning of the person who wrote it. You just want to make sure that you’re providing the most authentic interpretation you can.”
