Eminem’s latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), is set to make a significant impact on the Billboard charts, according to its first-week sales projections.
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HITS Daily Double reported on Monday (July 15) that the album is expected to earn between 270,000 and 290,000 album-equivalent units in its opening week. This impressive figure would secure Eminem a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, dethroning Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department after an impressive 12-week reign at the top.
Achieving this milestone would mark Eminem’s 11th No. 1 album, placing him alongside Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, and Barbra Streisand. Only Drake (13), Taylor Swift (14), JAY-Z (also 14), and The Beatles (19) have more No. 1 albums.
While the projected sales are on the lower end for Eminem—whose 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP opened with a staggering 1.78 million units—The Death of Slim Shady is still poised to outperform more recent efforts like Revival (267,000) and Music to be Murdered By (279,000).
Unsurprisingly, the album has sparked controversy since its release last Friday. Eminem received a fiery response from conservative commentator Candace Owens after dissing her on the Dr. Dre-produced track “Lucifer.”
In the song, Eminem raps:
“And Candace O, I ain’t mad at her / I ain’t gon’ throw the fact bitch forgot she was Black back at her / Laugh at her like them crackers she’s backin’ after her back is turned / In a cute MAGA hat with her brand-new White Lives Matter shirt.”
He continues:
“Or say this MAGA dirtbag in a skirt / Just opened the biggest can of worms on the whole planet Earth / Call her Grand Wizard, Klandace Grand Dragon or / Like the national anthem, I won’t stand for the tramp / But I can’t diss her ’cause my plans are to get in her pants and I’ll blow my chance if I answer back to her.”
Owens responded to Eminem in a lengthy rant on her YouTube channel, accusing him of being a closeted homosexual and referencing his 2002 hit “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”
“First thing I wanna say is Eminem is obviously a gay man. It’s very sad that Eminem cleaned out his closet but never came out of his closet,” she said.
She added, “I just would like to again remind people that he is in fact a struggling internally gay man and we should pray for him.”
Owens also claimed that her response was intended to “help him go viral” and remarked on his declining career: “He is not at the peak of his career; he is at the end of it. His career should have ended, like, 15 years ago and he keeps going.”
In addition to Owens, The Death of Slim Shady sees Eminem taking shots at Diddy over alleged assaults, as well as Ja Rule, Lizzo, and “corny white rappers.”
The album’s release and its ensuing controversies highlight Eminem’s continued ability to stir public conversation and maintain relevance in the ever-evolving landscape of hip-hop.
As Eminem looks set to claim his 11th No. 1 album, the debates and discussions surrounding The Death of Slim Shady ensure that his presence in the industry remains as potent as ever.
