Eminem is on track for his 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his latest effort, Music to Be Murdered By. Industry forecasters suggest the superstar’s new album is on course to launch atop next week’s tally (dated Feb. 1) with around 280,000 equivalent album units (or more) earned in the week ending Jan. 23.
Music to Be Murdered By was surprise-released on Jan. 17 via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records. It’s Eminem’s first album since another surprise effort, Kamikaze, which was released in August 2018 and bowed at No. 1.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the Feb. 1-dated Billboard 200 chart is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, Jan. 26.
If Music to Be Murdered By bows at No. 1, it will secure Eminem a 10th consecutive leader, and, a 10th straight debut at No. 1. All of his charting efforts except for his first, 1999’s The Slim Shady LP, have debuted at No. 1. (Slim debuted and peaked at No. 2.)
In terms of total No. 1 albums overall (regardless of if they were consecutive No. 1s, or debuts at No. 1), Eminem will become just the sixth act with at least 10 No. 1s in the 64-year history of the chart. He would join The Beatles (with 19), Jay-Z (14), Bruce Springsteen (11), Barbra Streisand (11) and Elvis Presley (10).
Elsewhere on next week’s Billboard 200 chart, watch for new albums from Halsey and Mac Miller to join Eminem in the top three. Industry prognosticators forecast Halsey’s Manic could earn 190,000-plus equivalent album units for a No. 2 debut, while Mac Miller’s first posthumous set Circles may start with 180,000 units or more at No. 3.
Country quartet Little Big Town will likely score the fourth-highest new entry on next week’s Billboard 200, as the group’s new Nightfall album may bow in the top 15 with maybe 30,000 equivalent album units earned.