On January 17, 2020, Eminem released “Music To Be Murdered By” with no warning. Six years later, the surprise drop has become one of his biggest streaming successes.
Inspired by Hitchcock, Powered by Impact
The album pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 record “Music to Be Murdered By”, from which it borrows its title, concept, and cover art. Eminem leaned fully into the horrorcore aesthetic, layering his intricate rhymes over dark, cinematic production. Despite no lead single or pre-release promotion, the project debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, selling 279,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It outperformed heavily promoted records, including Halsey’s new album.
A Long-Running Success on the Charts
“Music To Be Murdered By” stayed on the Billboard 200 for an entire year without falling off. It has spent 121 weeks on the chart and even landed a spot on Billboard’s US year-end chart in 2022. The album includes standout tracks like “Godzilla” featuring Juice WRLD, “Darkness”, and “Unaccommodating” with Young M.A.
A New Milestone
As of January 2026, the album has passed 4.5 billion streams on Spotify, making it Eminem’s fifth most streamed studio album to date. It gets over 737,000 streams daily, maintaining strong audience engagement well after its release.
Here’s how it compares to his other top albums:
1. The Eminem Show – 9.24B
2. The Marshall Mathers LP – 5.76B
3. Recovery – 5.58B
4. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – 4.52B
5. Music To Be Murdered By – 4.50B
Legacy and Longevity
Although “The Marshall Mathers LP2” has recently passed it on Eminem’s personal leaderboard, MTBMB remains a fan favourite and an important part of his later discography. It marked a creative resurgence, blending sharp commentary, lyrical precision, and bold production choices. Also, being released just before the pandemic, it stayed with us through those dark days, providing a soundtrack to the time of anxiety and isolation.
Today, with its milestone of 4.5 billion streams confirmed, there’s no better time to revisit “Music To Be Murdered By”. When was the last time you pressed play?
