Leave it to Shady to jump back on the chart with no apparent reason, with two classic songs more than 15 years old.
Back For More
The previous week, the Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart welcomed back two classic Eminem songs: “Smack That” and “Without Me”. Obviously, for both, it is not their first appearance on the ranking. “Smack That”, Em’s 2006 collaboration with Akon, has already spent 235 weeks on the British rankings. However, this position at No. 27 is the highest it has ever reached on the Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart. After a brief run in 2023, the song popped back on the chart this January and is now back at its new peak.
It is not the same story for “Without Me”. Of course, this classic has been atop the chart before, and the current No.34 does not sound like a big deal. However, if you think about it as the super hit from the beginning of the century that just refuses to leave the chart, you can agree that it is a success.
The Eminem Show’s lead single first entered this chart 24 years ago, in January 2002, and has since spent 4 weeks at No.1 and 15 weeks in the Top 10. After a 38-week debut run, it disappeared from the chart, with only a brief reintroduction in 2016. Now, it is difficult to imagine that it was absent for years. Everything has changed in autumn 2021. The single came back for 57 weeks straight and, since then, has never been out of the Top 40 for too long. Hopefully, we won’t see this trend changing.
Meanwhile, these two new arrivals, or return guests, are in good company. An old friend kept watch and stayed on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles ranking all this time. It is “Love the Way You Lie”. With 672 weeks in the books, his collaboration with Rihanna is the longest charting track on this list. And the previous week, it climbed six frames up to No.32.
Unique Consistency
Elsewhere, Em’s classic works show a similar trajectory. On the Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums chart, The Eminem Show returns at No.30. Meanwhile, The Marshall Mathers LP follows at No. 33.
Last week, both albums were absent. Now they are back, following the never-ceasing push from the audience. UK listeners show unique consistency in their taste. Whatever new stars come and go, they pay attention. Still, they never stop appreciating legacy, coming to Em’s catalogue for whatever strength and inspiration they need. And Marshall always provides.
