Eminem becomes only second rapper to break huge record
Despite the controversy surrounding his new album, Eminem is on the comeback trail and undergoing a resurgence in terms of popularity. The overall reception to The Death of Slim Shady, as far as numbers are concerned, has been strong.
His recent promotional tour has also helped, as die-hard fans got excited about the new material while others who weren’t as keen on his non-slim music are keen on giving him more attention. The result is that he has become the second rapper to break a huge record.
Furthermore, it has now been announced that following the commercial success of his new album, Eminem has surpassed 50 billion streams on Spotify. This makes him the second most-streamed rapper on the platform and the sixth most-streamed artist overall.
Unsurprisingly, everyone Eminem shares this record with is a big name in the world of music. As far as non-hip-hop artists who share the record with him, he is up there with Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. Some of these are above him in number, but the Detroit rapper is steadily creeping up on Bieber and Sheeran.
If Em continues on this trajectory, it’s not unlikely that he will surpass The Weeknd’s 67 billion streams, either. It’s unlikely he will become the most streamed rapper on the platform, though, as the only other hip-hop artist on the list is Drake, who tops it.
Despite a few recent jabs on his reputation, the Toronto rapper is sitting pretty at 101 billion streams on Spotify. This makes him the most streamed artist of all time and the only person who has passed 100 billion streams on Spotify.
Eminem probably isn’t too bothered about Drake being above him. Though lyrics in his new album suggest he is certainly Team Kendrick Lamar regarding his feud with Drizzy, but he has also spoken highly about Drake in the past, too. “Drake will always be in my good graces,” he said in 2019 during an interview with Sway.
Interestingly, while Drake might be beating Shady on streams, Eminem has more album sales than the Toronto rapper. To this day, Eminem is the best-selling artist in hip-hop history, having sold over 220 million units since his debut album in 1996. These figures put him in good company alongside the likes of Whitney Houston and the Rolling Stones.
Since his debut in the 1990s, Eminem’s sound has transcended time. He was the best-selling artist of the 2000s and the second best-selling artist of the ‘10s.