Posted by The Nielsen Music/MRC Data numbers are in and as predicted, Eminem’s Music To Be Murdered By: Side B has landed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, right behind Taylor Swift’s Evermore (No. 1) and Sir Paul McCartney’s McCartney III (No. 2).
According to Billboard, the deluxe version of Music To Be Murdered By reeled in roughly 94,000 total album-equivalent units in its opening week. Of that total, SEA units comprise 57,000 (up 761 percent, equaling 82.01 million on-demand streams of the 36 tracks), album sales comprise 33,000 (up 3,401 percent) and TEA units comprise 4,000 (up 3,868 percent).
Technically, that means the original Music To Be Murdered By has catapulted from No. 199 to the No. 3 spot after the updated reissue. (All versions of the album have been combined for tracking purposes.) In addition to the initial 20 tracks, the project also boasts 16 additional songs with contributions from DJ Premier, Ty Dolla $ign, Dr. Dre and singer-songwriter Skylar Grey, among others.
Eminem’s ‘Music To Be Murdered By: Side B’ Projected To End Record-Setting Billboard 200 Streak
Shady surprised dropped Music To Be Murdered By in January and the project landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the following week with over 279,000 total album-equivalent units sold.
Although Shady tried to blindside his fans again with Side B, rumors of the project started to swirl a few days prior to its arrival. Excitement for another helping of Shady tracks reached fever pitch when producer and Dr. Dre affiliate Dem Jointz inadvertently revealed the cover art in an Instagram post.
Eminem’s last 10 albums have debuted at No. 1 on the chart, a Billboard record.