While ageism in hip hop is real, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Some young rappers like to say there’s nothing sadder than a “rapping grandpa”, but the truth is far from that.
Many artists who broke records and shaped the culture in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s are still creating, still experimenting, and still winning.
Moreover, these veterans are not hanging on but thriving. Their experience gives them depth, and their discipline keeps them sharp. Few embody this better than Eminem, who continues to outperform artists half his age, as well as his peers. At the end of the day, he is both a grandpa and a rap god.
Eminem Still Runs Up the Numbers
Year after year, Eminem proves that hip hop is not just a young man’s game. He, along with Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, shows that a rapper can stay relevant, powerful, and commercially successful after 45. Actually, those three are the only rappers who pulled off over 250k sales over 45.
Here’s a look at the top-performing rap albums by artists over 45 that the HipHopByNumbers account put together:
1. 434k – Kamikaze (Eminem, age 45.9 – 2018)
2. 295k – Compton (Dr. Dre, age 50.5 – 2015)
3. 281k – The Death of Slim Shady (Eminem, age 51.8 – 2024)
4. 279k – Music to Be Murdered By (Eminem, age 47.3 – 2020)
5. 267k – Revival (Eminem, age 45.2 – 2017)
6. 262k – 4:44 (Jay-Z, age 47.6 – 2017)
7. 148k – Vultures 1 (Kanye West, age 46.7 & Ty Dolla $ign, – 2024)
8. 135k – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service (A Tribe Called Quest, age 46.1 – 2016)
9. 123k – Everything Is Love (Jay-Z & Beyoncé, age 48.6 – 2018)
10. 118k – Let God Sort ’Em Out (Clipse, age 50.6 – 2025)
Experience Beats Age
Clearly, the evidence is right here if you need it: creativity and hunger do not fade with age. In fact, for rappers like Eminem, they seem to grow stronger with time, or rather, they depend on the material, not on their age. That’s why “Revival” is his least successful album here – and it is more successful than somebody else’s hit. Decades after his debut, Em is dropping albums that open at over a quarter million units, and that’s not nostalgia, that’s skill.
While the culture keeps evolving, artists who have lived through its many eras are still shaping what comes next. And if anyone ever doubts that, Eminem’s career is the answer.
