A year ago today, Eminem kicked off his TDOSS era with “Houdini”, a song that sparked controversy, broke records, and brought him back to the top.
Announced 10 days prior by Em’s cryptic message, the lead single from “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” dropped with a slick, self-referencing video. The song debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Global 200, but not everyone was on board at first. Critics panned the track’s lyrics, production, and visuals. Fans? They streamed it to the moon.
“Houdini” opened at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with nearly 49 million streams and 49,000 copies sold, giving Em his 23rd Top 10 hit in the US and his biggest single since “The Monster” in 2013. It even landed on Alternative Airplay — his first appearance there since“ Lose Yourself” over two decades ago.
In the UK, “Houdini” debuted at No.1 with 104,800 chart units, making it his 11th British chart-topper and the strongest debut he has had there since “Without Me” in 2002 and the longest charting No.1 in his career. It also reached No.1 in Australia, his eighth to do so.
The video went on to win Best Hip Hop and Best Visual Effects at the MTV VMAs and just picked up sevenTelly Awards. The song has already been certified 3× Platinum in Canada, 2× Platinum in Poland, and Platinum in Austria, Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. With over 638 million Spotify streams and 237 million YouTube views, it continues to climb up Em’s catalogue ranking.
One year in, “Houdini” is still doing numbers and still stirring conversation.
