All the promotion and ubiquity for Eminem’s MMLP2 were not conducted in vain. As expected, the Grammy Award-winning rapper’s album took the top spot on the Billboard charts.
It was predicted that Em’s eighth album was on pace to sell 750K in its first week in stores and iTunes. The final numbers show that those expectations were exceeded by nearly 50,000 units as the grand tally comes in at 793K.
Reports Billboard:
“The Marshall Mathers LP 2” (“MMLP2”) also logs the sixth-biggest sales week of the past five years. Since November of 2008, the only larger weeks were earned by Taylor Swift’s “Red” (2012, 1.2 million its debut), Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” (2011, 1.1 million debut), Swift’s “Speak Now” (2010, 1 million debut), Timberlake, and Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV” (2011, 964,000 debut).
“MMLP2” marks Eminem’s seventh No. 1 album — all consecutive, and all debuts at No. 1. His only album to miss the top slot was his first release, 1999’s “The Slim Shady LP.” It debuted and peaked at No. 2.
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 falls only to Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience for top first-week sales in 2013, which raked in 968K copies back in March.
Across the pond in the UK, the album marked Eminem’s seventh consecutive chart topper and has already been certified gold in New Zealand.
The press release for MMLP2 has been grandiose, with the rapper taking over the MTV EMA Awards, putting out special edition comic books and having involvement with one of the top video games of the year.
Not even the alter ego of Slim Shady can stop Mr. Mathers now.
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Photo: Instagram
