The lead single from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, released in 2006, refuses to go into obscurity. A new IFPI certification recognises the track’s steady performance in Denmark.
Denmark is counting numbers
Interestingly, by default, the Danish IFPI secretariat issues its weekly certification updates based solely on streaming numbers and downloads. It is a label’s or an artist’s responsibility to provide verified physical sales figures, if they want to include them in the final count. Obviously, the Shady Records team doesn’t do it. They are notoriously uninterested in certification updates, even on their home turf, let alone in a European kingdom with a population of 6 million.
Not like it would matter much for The Re-Up. Released in 2006, CDs have likely been out of stock for years and unlikely to give any significant physical sales numbers. The main point of the compilation was to showcase Shady Records artists, none of whom are still signed to Shady Records today.
Power on display
Nevertheless, the album and its lead single have left a mark on the culture. The Re-Up began life as a mixtape project, dark and gritty. Later, “You Don’t Know” encapsulated this vibe perfectly. Assisted by 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Ca$his, Eminem delivered a dark tale about the hip hop cutthroat business, all while asserting Shady Records’ place at the top of the rap world.
Who run it? You know, you actin’ like you don’t know
I tear the club up fo’ sho’
This flow is gon’ bring mo’ dough
Yeah, you know, but you actin’ like you don’t know
Steady growth
Eminem and his artists were right, and that’s why listeners keep returning to this song 20 years later. Yes, the song did well upon release, charting in the UK from digital downloads alone and giving Eminem what was then his fifth-highest Billboard Hot 100 debut. Since then, “You Don’t Know” was certified Platinum in Brazil, New Zealand, and the US, and Gold in Australia, the United Kingdom, and, now, Denmark.
The song’s performance is steady and mirrors the broader strength of Eminem’s whole catalogue. Back in 2019, when in 2019 “You Don’t Know” crossed the 100 million Spotify streams mark, it was Em’s 37th track to push through this barrier. Now, he has 116 songs with over 100 million streams, and “You Don’t Know” sits at 279 million streams. And there will be more, for sure.