A whole lot has changed in the music industry of course of the 21st century, but one thing has remained entirely consistent: When Eminem releases a new album, that thing goes straight to No. 1.
This week, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) becomes Eminem’s latest new LP to top the Billboard 200 (on the chart dated July 27), now an 11-album streak that dates all the way back to 2000 sophomore set The Marshall Mathers LP. With its bow atop the chart, the finale for Em’s longtime alter ego deposes Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department — which had reigned for its first 12 weeks of release, but now slips to No. 4 on the listing.
How has Eminem remained so consistently successful for 25 years now? And what will he do next now that his signature persona has been laid to rest? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Eminem scores his 11th consecutive No. 1 new album this week with The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), moving 281,000 units in the album’s first week. On a scale of 1-10, how happy do you think he should be with that debut performance?
Anna Chan: 10 out of 10! Not only was he the artist who unseated Taylor Swift from her impressive 12-week reign of the Billboard 200, TDOSS also had the biggest week of any rap album so far this year – nothing to sneeze at.
Kyle Denis: Solid 8. It’s a handsome debut that’s relatively in line with his last few studio LPs, he has a concurrent Hot 100 top 10 hit in lead single “Houdini” this week, and he’ll go down in history as the artist who ended Swift’s historic run atop the Billboard 200. I’m sure he would have liked to clear the 300,000 mark, but this is nothing to scoff at.
Jason Lipshutz: A 9. One point deducted for getting close to the 300k mark without quite getting there, but this is a mainstream triumph for an artist who’s 25 years into his career, and who strode past Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department with ease, after months of other artists failing to knock the album out of the top spot. As a commercial entity, The Death of Slim Shady has been a home run for Eminem, considering the continued success of lead single “Houdini,” and now the splashy bow of the full-length.
Michael Saponara: 7. It’s more than 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By, which is a win, but when you’re the best-selling rapper of all-time, any first week sum that starts with a two probably isn’t going to produce too much serotonin for the body.
Andrew Unterberger: Maybe an 8. It’s a tremendous number for Eminem at this point in his career — really for just about any rapper in 2024 — and though it seems like he can pull those kinds of numbers in his sleep at this point, he certainly put his all into the rollout this time around. If this really is the end of an era for Eminem, it’s a thoroughly respectable performance to go out on.
2. Few, if any, rappers have managed the commercial consistency that Eminem has in his 25 years as a star — what do you think the biggest reason is he’s still able to produce such strong first-week performances this deep into his career?
Anna Chan: First and foremost, Em has been consistently talented throughout his entire career. But setting the talent aspect aside, he knows how to keep old fans around while building upon his base by bringing in new listeners. For example, on TDOSS, you’ve got Em staples such as hip-hop icon Dr. Dre as a producer again, the emotional track featuring strong female vocals (“Temporary” with frequent collaborator Skylar Grey), following up on fan favorites (“Guilty Conscience 2,” the sequel to Slim Shady LP’s “Guilty Conscience”), all while bringing on newer artists to drawn in fresh listeners not only from hip-hop, but other genres as well (most notably Jelly Roll on the stunning album closer “Somebody Save Me”).
Kyle Denis: He’s been steadfast in his brand for a quarter-century. Even as he’s matured, the musical characters of Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady are mainstays in his catalog – from lyrics to album titles. He’s built a world based around himself that fans have been able to deconstruct and buy into for almost three decades. It’s hard to say that anyone else in hip-hop has accomplished that on this level. Nonetheless, you do also have to acknowledge the built-in capital he gets from being both a mainstream white rapper and a crossover star, his fanbase doesn’t mirror that of quite a few of hip-hop’s top artists, which works in his favor.
Jason Lipshutz: The combination of an extremely dedicated fan base who’s ready to support Eminem at every twist and turn, and a new project that was primed to appeal to casual fans who haven’t kept up with every release. Em is always going to have the diehards that will press play, regardless of whether his albums veer toward pop or toward the more idiosyncratic or puerile — but a full-length like The Death of Slim Shady, complete with a radio-ready lead single that harkens back to his zeitgeist-capturing early smashes, speaks to a listenership beyond that core. That’s how Eminem has maintained a level of consistency, while also scoring above-average debut figures like the one for The Death of Slim Shady.
Michael Saponara: I’m still trying to find out the actual answer to this one myself. It’s been an incredible run spanning 25 years and he’s seen different generations of rap come and go. Em’s popularity has crossed over into music deity territory to the point whenever he drops, he’s going to be a commercial force. He’s done a pretty good job of balancing feeding his fans, but not oversaturating the market the last decade. Nostalgia helps and he still maintains an image and vigor for rapping that somewhat resembles his prime.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s helped that with all his strengths and flaws, Eminem has always been a pretty obvious one of one — I don’t know which rapper you’d even consider to be the closest to him in terms of personality, style and skill, but even if there was an obvious pick there, chances are they’d have never tasted a fraction of his crossover visibility. If you were an Eminem fan 25 years ago, chances are pretty good no one has ever really taken over his place in your heart. So if you were one of those early fans (and you still care about music at all), that means you probably still care about Eminem.
3. While Eminem albums have almost always come strong out of the gate, in recent years they’ve struggled more to produce the extended impact of his early albums. Do you think Death will buck the trend, or will it also be a mostly one-week blast?
Anna Chan: There’s so much nostalgia (guess who’s back? It’s not just Slim Shady – but Ken Kaniff too!) to go with the classic Shady and grown-up Eminem that I give TDOSS at least two to three weeks at No. 1, possibly more – though perhaps not consecutive weeks. After all, there doesn’t appear to be a super-strong, likely long-lasting new challenger until Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion in mid-August.
Kyle Denis: Probably a one-week blast unless one of the songs clicks. My money is on the JID and Jelly Roll tracks.
Jason Lipshutz: It will buck the trend thanks to “Houdini.” The continued strength of the single will ensure that the album maintains a streaming presence and keep The Death of Slim Shady from falling out of the cultural consciousness too quickly. I’m not sure it will be able to spend a ton of time atop the Billboard 200 in the coming months, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see it lingering in the top 10 of the chart as the weather cools off and we start thinking about holiday plans.
Michael Saponara: I think he bucks the trend. This project seems to be cutting through more than Music to Be Murdered By and I believe the “Houdini” rapper has a few more tricks up his sleeve to boost sales and interest. Does he pull a deluxe out of his hat?
Andrew Unterberger: I think it’s ultimately gonna be a pretty short commemorative service for Slim — but it’s worth pointing out that the album hasn’t seen physical release yet, so when those CD and vinyl versions of it ship (in September and October, respectively), it wouldn’t be shocking to see the album surge back up the Billboard 200.
4. Now that Eminem has pronounced the death of his signature rap alter ego, what would you like to see him do for his next act?
Anna Chan: We already know he’s a funny man from some of his lyrics and music videos, and that he can put butts in theater seats (remember when 8 Mile opened at No. 1?), so why not combine the two and put him in some comedy films? (I’m still cackling at his Crank Yankers episode!)
Kyle Denis: Continue uplifting the next generation of Detroit rappers and make a project that doesn’t feel like torture to sit through.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d love to see him try something totally different, with new collaborators and an unexpected aesthetic. Eminem’s technical skill is undeniable, and he has nothing left to prove within the hip-hop space that he’s carved out for himself. And while projects like The Death of Slim Shady are wide-ranging and crowd-pleasing, they also riff on a lot of the beats he’s previously played. Why not stray into the unknown and push the limits of his artistry, with the knowledge that he could always return to his preferred mode? Fingers crossed that he spends the next few years taking the chances he has thoroughly earned.
Michael Saponara: I enjoyed the conceptuality of TDOSS and I can’t quit Slim Shady. Maybe it’s because that’s the Em I grew up on, but I’d like to see a resurrection of Slim Shady down the line at some point.
Andrew Unterberger: Maybe a Bad Meets Evil-style teamup with a Detroit up-and-comer? Em’s shown interest in helping to cultivate the next generation of Motown talent, and his sometimes-overbearing personality can seem a lot fresher as one half of a pass-the-mic duo. Could be cool.
5. Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department falls to No. 4 in its 13th week on the ranking — the first time since its debut it hasn’t been No. 1. Do you think it gets back to the top spot in the next few weeks, or has its reign mostly come to an end?
Anna Chan: My Magic 8-Ball predicts Swift will reach back into her bag, bruh, and possibly drop some new version(s) of TTPD to reinvigorate the album’s numbers and get back into the No. 1 spot.
Kyle Denis: Knowing Taylor, she has 500 other versions of the album to put up for sale, so she’ll be back in the top spot soon enough. Not to mention she’s officially announced the album’s second radio single (“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’) and the Eras Tour will be back in the States by October.
Jason Lipshutz: It will get back to No. 1. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” might turn into a real smash in the coming weeks, and there are always more consumers to find, especially as the holiday season draws near. The lesson remains the same: underestimate Taylor at your own risk.
Michael Saponara: Is this bait to get in the Swifty crosshairs? I don’t want that smoke. Taylor Swift will find her way back to the apex one way or another. The TTPD train isn’t coming to a halt just yet.
Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, it might take Swift a few weeks, but she’ll be back. There’s still new CD editions to be shipped, new singles and videos to be unveiled — maybe she’ll even get in the mix with the presidential election at some point? We haven’t heard the last of Poets to be sure.
