Daily Briefing: Auto industry's recall issue; Trump and Musk charged by UAW; Benson's home attacked; more

Eminem ends Taylor Swift’s No. 1 streak with ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)’

Only a Motown legend has beaten Taylor Swift's streak.

Portrait of Darcie Moran Darcie Moran
Detroit Free Press

Honestly, what other way would you say it? In the words of the prolific Detroit rapper himself: guess who’s back?

“Renaissance” man Eminem’s latest album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” has debuted with a death blow to singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s record-reaching 12-week streak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

This is Eminem’s 11th No. 1 album. He's now tied for the fifth-most No. 1 albums of all time with only Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Ye, or Kanye West, reaching such a feat alongside him.

The Beatles still hold the record with 19 No. 1 albums, and “The Tortured Poets Department” musician, Swift, isn’t seeing her castles crumbling quite yet. She’s scored 14 No. 1 albums and is one of just three artists to earn at least a 12-week streak upon an album's debut, according to Billboard.

Eminem’s album was released July 12. It nabbed the largest week for any rap album in 2024 and earned the second-largest sales week for a digital download album this year, Billboard reported.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Eminem performs during the "Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" at Roosevelt Park in front of the Michigan Central Station in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Still holding No. 1 in that latter regard is Swift, and she certainly didn’t seem down bad when she marked 12 weeks at No. 1 with an Instagram post on Saturday thanking her fans.

More:Eminem wrestles with ghosts of his past, toys with outrage on ‘The Death of Slim Shady’

“I am completely blown away by what you’ve done ‒ it stayed at #1 for the first 12 weeks of its release and that’s never happened to an album of mine before, not even close!!” she said.

The only artist to debut and then stay more than 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 is Motown legend Stevie Wonder. His “Songs in the Key of Life” album kicked off with 13 weeks in the top spot.

Eminem’s latest work was already fueling some success on the charts, with the self-appointed rap god’s “Houdini” single off the album debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Tobey,” with Big Sean and BabyTron, reaching No. 27 by the July 20 chart.