First Eminem’s song to reach No. 1 in the UK now has its fifth platinum plaque from the certification body.
“The Real Slim Shady” paved the way to Em’s third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, on April 18, 2000. 26 years ago, almost to the day. And 26 years later, almost to the day, the British Phonographic Industry recognised that the single had sold 3 million copies in the UK.
Steady performance
The song remains one of Marshall’s most beloved tracks. It received its previous 4xPlatinum certification in the UK just two years ago, in March 2024. Also, it received 3xPlatinum two year before that, in 2022. With over 2.4 billion streams on Spotify, it ranks as his fifth most played track on the platform. “The Real Slim Shady” gets hundreds of thousands of spins daily, clocking in over 800,000 on a slow day.
Most played Eminem songs on Spotify:
1. Without Me – 3.05 billion
2. Lose Yourself – 2.87 billion
3. Till I Collapse – 2.47 billion
4. Mockingbird – 2.46 billion
5. The Real Slim Shady – 2.44 billion
Fast success
Released in 2000 as the lead single from “The Marshall Mathers LP”, “The Real Slim Shady” became Em’s biggest hit at the time, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landing him his first No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. It also earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance in 2001.
Impossible ask
Famously, Eminem wrote the song just hours before handing over the final version of the album. All because Dr. Dre pressured him for something just as punchy as “My Name Is” was for The Slim Shady LP. The Good Doctor was right; he knew that Marshall had to capture the public’s attention immediately. And for the general public, “The Marshall Mathers LP” was just his second album, notoriously difficult to follow up on the success of the debut. Little did they know that the real debut Eminem made back in Detroit – and watched it fall through – gave him not only the remarkable ability to withstand stress, but also honed his lyrical skills.
So he wrote what the public would love, and with tongue in cheek slipped in his sarcasm, his thoughts, hopes, and frustrations. A reality pill, sugar-coated just enough to go down easy
Listen to Eminem – “The Real Slim Shady”: