Eminem’s new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), has made a powerful debut on the Billboard 200.
It claimed he top spot with an impressive 281,000 equivalent album units sold. This marks the biggest sales week in hip-hop for 2024, surpassing previous benchmarks in the genre.
The album’s arrival on the charts ended Taylor Swift’s 12-week reign at number one with The Tortured Poets Department. This new release also set a record for the biggest rap album debut of the year, outpacing Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You, which had sold 251,000 units.
In addition to its strong debut, The Death of Slim Shady achieved the second-largest digital launch of 2024, recording 114,000 sales. This figure falls behind only Swift’s digital launch of 274,000 units. Notably, the album’s physical copies will not be available until September 13.
The album’s performance was consistent with projections, which had estimated first-week sales between 270,000 and 290,000 units. The Death of Slim Shady marks Eminem’s 11th number-one album, putting him on par with notable artists such as Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, and Barbra Streisand. Only Drake, Taylor Swift, JAY-Z, and The Beatles have more number-one albums.
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This release also surpassed the first-week sales of Eminem’s previous albums, including Music to Be Murdered By (279,000) and Revival (267,000).
Since its release on July 12, the album has stirred controversy, particularly for its track “Lucifer,” where Eminem targets conservative commentator Candace Owens. The lyrics have sparked a heated response from Owens, who criticized Eminem in a public rant.
