Eminem MMLP2 New Album Update: Marshall Mathers' 'The Monster' Featuring Rihanna Has Biggest Sales Week Yet, Numbers Increase By 123%
Eminem's hit single "The Monster" off his double-platinum selling The Marshall Mathers LP 2 rules Billboard's both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rap Songs charts for its ninth week, and certainly maintains Slim Shady's "Rap God" status by selling the most copies in one week since its November release.
The Rihanna-assisted track has sold 373,000 copies its first week of release back in November. However, it had not sold more than 300,000 units in any week since. Now, it receives Digital Gainer honors, selling 433,000 downloads only this week -- a 123 percent increase from the previous week and its best week yet, according to Nielsen SoundScan's the most recent tracking ending on Dec. 29.
This week's evidently impressive sales figure is tied mainly to the rise of holiday gift card purchases. After the consumers redeemed digital gift cards after Christmas, "The Monster" has now sold 2.2 million downloads so far.
The Detroit rapper's eighth studio album MMLP2 still holds strong at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-hop Albums list by gaining 6 percent to 122,000 copies this week. It has sold 1.7 million units in total.
In addition, Beyoncé has debuted on the chart at No. 12 with "Drunk in Love," off her self-titled album. The catchy tune matches her best-ever debut and marks her highest-charting Hot 100 hit in approximately four years. Beyoncé reigns for a third week at No. 1 with 310,000 units (17 percent decrease). It has now sold 1.3 million in its three weeks on the chart.