The track sold 380,000 downloads in its first week, the biggest digital debut of the year at that point.
In 2010, Eminem’s single “Not Afraid” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated May 22, becoming just the 16th track ever to launch at the top of the chart.
Powered by 380,000 digital downloads in its first week, “Not Afraid” earned the biggest single-week digital sales of 2010 at the time. The track followed “Lose Yourself” and “Crack a Bottle” to become Em’s third No. 1 on the Hot 100.
It was also a milestone moment in hip hop history: the first rap song by a solo male artist to debut at No. 1, and the first hip hop debut at No. 1 since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.
For a single released on April, 27 this chart debut looks like a delay, but there is no mystery. Billboard charts are always future-dated, meaning the May 22 issue was published on May 13, and reflects tracking from April 26 to May 2. “Not Afraid” debuted at No. 1 in its very first week of eligibility.
In June 2014, Eminem became the first artist in music history to earn two Digital Single Diamond Awards. He received the honours for “Not Afraid” and “Love The Way You Lie”, both of which surpassed 10 million in combined sales and streams at the moment.
