It’s no secret that Eminem is one of the top-selling rap acts of all time. But fans might be surprised to know that Slim Shady was, in fact, the top-selling act in all of music in the 2000s – surpassing pop acts like N’ Sync, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
Recently, Eminem was awarded the Nielsen SoundScan “Artist of the Decade Award,” which recognized him for having sales exceeding 32 million units domestically (worldwide, his sales are approximated to be near 80 million). The award was presented to the multi-platinum rapper by Nielsen Entertainment President Eric Weinberg and Nielsen Entertainment’s Retail Relations Vice President Chris Muratore.
2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002’s The Eminem Showwere each certified diamond, meaning over 10 million records sold domestically. 2004’s Encoresold over seven million, while 2005’s greatest hits album Curtain Call nearly reached double platinum status. 2009’s Relapsemanaged to hit platinum before the decade ended as well.
In addition, Eminem was part of other high-selling projects which did not count towards his tally as a solo artist, including two platinum D12 albums in 2001’s Devil’s Night and 2004’s D12 World. Other platinum releases included Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile, and Eminem Presents: The Re-Up.
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Below is a picture of Eminem receiving the award. Left to right: Jimmy Iovine (Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M Records), Dr. Dre, Eric Weinberg (President, Nielsen Entertainment), Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg (back row), Chris Muratore (VP, Retail Relations, Nielsen Entertainment), Eminem, Steve Berman (Vice Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M Records). Berman was featured in a number of skits on Eminem albums (Marshall Mathers LP, Devil’s Night, Eminem Show, Relapse) as a cantankerous album executive.
