In a surprising turn of events, Eminem has dethroned Taylor Swift from the Billboard 200 number-one spot. Recall that Swift released her album, The Tortured Poets Department, which debuted at number one in April. The album dominated the charts for the next three months, setting her up to make history. With an unbroken streak of 12 weeks at the top, the Cruel Summer singer beat Whitney Houston, whose 1987 album Whitney spent 11 weeks at No. 1. In addition, Swift’s album tied Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which also debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for 12 consecutive weeks.
With the incredible feat, Swift’s album was on the verge of setting the record for most weeks at No. 1 from a title’s debut. One more week at the top spot, and it would have outperformed Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. The album debuted at No. 1 in 1976 and maintained the top spot for 13 consecutive weeks. However, Taylor Swift‘s history-making Billboard 200 run is over.
The Real Slim Shady Takes Over
On Sunday, Billboard announced that Eminem’s latest studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), debuted at No. 1 on the chart. According to the outlet, the 51-year-old’s collection moved 281,000 equivalent album units during its first week. This marked the largest first-week sales total for any album in 2024. It beat out this year’s previous record-holder Future, and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You, which pushed 251,000 equivalent album units in its first week back in March. Eminem’s Billboard 200 feat marked the rapper’s 11th No. 1 album. This tied him with Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, and Kanye West for the fifth-most No. 1s on the Billboard 200. So far, Eminem’s new album still sits at the top spot. However, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department currently occupies the fourth position.
