Eminem continues to rack up the accolades as his decorated career enters its third decade as he is now officially one of the 10 highest-selling artists of all time.
According to ChartMasters, Slim Shady has finally cracked the top 10 list after achieving 207,262,000 total sales in his career, vaulting him above Led Zeppelin into the No. 10 spot.
The ranking combines album sales, singles sales and streaming data, and is updated daily.
Eminem is the only rapper in the top 40, with Drake his closest competition at No. 41 with just over 120 million sales. Kanye West (No. 61; 98 million sales) and 2Pac (No. 73; 84 million sales) are the only other Hip Hop acts in the top 100.
The Detroit native has a long way to go until he tops the list, though, as The Beatles currently lead the way by a large margin with over 423 million sales.
Michael Jackson (No. 2; 338 million sales), Elvis Presley (No. 3; 321 million sales), Queen (No. 4; 279 million sales) and Madonna (No. 5; 248 million sales) round out the top five.
Eminem previously became the most certified artist in RIAA history last year with 227.5 million gold and platinum certifications (166 million single certifications and 61.5 million album certifications).
He also has the most diamond certifications in Hip Hop with six to his name: The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), The Eminem Show (2002), “Lose Yourself” (2002), Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), “Not Afraid” (2010) and “Love the Way You Lie” (2010).
Marshall Mathers was surpassed by Drake in terms of singles later that year, though, as the 6 God’s total number of song sales soared to 184 million, eclipsing Em’s 166 million.
The 50-year-old still holds the unique distinction of having the two largest first-week sales figures in rap history thanks to The Marshall Mathers LP (1.78 million) and The Eminem Show (1.32 million).
While the accolades and sales continue to pour in for Eminem, his place in the Hip Hop pantheon doesn’t go unchallenged. Just earlier this month, rising Bay Area rapper Symba questioned Em’s self-proclaimed Rap God status and went so far as to claim that he’s the better MC.
“I respect Eminem on a level as a man,” he said during a debate panel at REVOLT World in Atlanta. “But as a rapper, I feel like I can name five better rappers.”
After acknowledging Em’s “fire” catalog, fellow panelist Tierra Whack outright asked him: “Wait, soo you think you’re better than Eminem?”
“Yes,” Symba responded after some hesitation. “Anybody can rhyme words, [but] what are you saying?”
