Having spent 552 weeks in the UK album charts since its 2005 release, is Eminem’s greatest hits compilation “Curtain Call: The Hits” popular among younger fans due to his provocative lyrics, or is there a more mundane explanation?
Amid the resurgence of Y2K culture, it was inevitable that the era’s most notorious figure, Eminem, would be swept up in the wave. As the children of Eminem’s fans grow up and engage with social media, the rapper’s 2004 song “Mockingbird” became the latest track to be accelerated and shared across TikTok towards the end of 2022. In a surprising shift from his usual persona, young users of the app shared tales of parental love while the song played in the background, sped up and pitch-shifted.
However, unlike other aging musicians who might welcome a surge in youth attention, Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, hardly needs it. His 2005 greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits, spent 552 weeks in the UK Official Charts and was the sixth-best-selling album of 2022, effectively making a 17-year-old compilation the top-selling rap album of the year, despite the new releases of hip-hop heavyweights like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion, DJ Khaled, and Future.
Although Eminem’s fast-talking and sometimes cheesy style may not quite align with the melodic and anthemic pace of contemporary rap, the recent chart results may suggest a renewed interest in his work with a new generation of listeners discovering his back catalogue, seemingly unbothered by the controversial nature of his lyrics. However, this theory does not seem to hold up.
Harvey, aged 16, acknowledges Eminem’s impact on the rap scene as an inspiration to many, but he feels that people his age no longer actively listen to his music. Similarly, Karam, aged 17, acknowledges Eminem as one of the greatest rappers in history, but also thinks that he has lost his edge since 2016 and has become too old to stay relevant. Morgan, aged 11, claims to have heard Eminem while playing Fortnite but finds it odd to be questioned about him.
The decline in interest could be attributed to the usual generational shift, rather than any particular social or moral values. Despite the often-used label of younger generations as “snowflakes,” the misogyny and homophobia that were once the subject of moral outrage and concern during Eminem’s heyday, no longer seem to be an issue.
Mehima, aged 19, says that most of her friends do not pay much attention to Eminem’s music because of how fast he raps, and even the more offensive material is softened by the cute, smoothed-over effect of the sped-up versions on TikTok.
Eminem, who has been in the rap game since the late 1980s, seems to be less reliant on a boost from younger fans. While a few fan accounts are active on TikTok, with his official page boasting 4.4 million followers but no videos, the real buzz is in older corners of the internet where “Real Rap” still reigns supreme, and fans value lyrical dexterity over modern vibes. Eminem.news churns out daily snippets of adoration, and Facebook fan pages and Reddit communities thrive on gossip and nostalgia. Recently, Facebook’s older user base was caught up in debates over Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s rumored split, while in the past, they’ve discussed the pros and cons of the sped-up TikTok edits.
Looking closer at the end-of-year chart rankings, it becomes evident that Eminem, who has been active since the late 1980s, hardly needs a youth-oriented bump at all. Curtain Call: The Hits has consistently performed well in the Official Charts since 2014 when the inclusion of streaming was introduced. With around 67 million monthly listeners on Spotify, many of whom play Lose Yourself during their workouts, Eminem’s presence is palpable. Till I Collapse, which was released in 2002, has also been designated the top workout song of all time by Spotify and was the first non-single to surpass one billion streams on the platform.
This indicates that we are witnessing the rise of a new era of legacy artists, profoundly influenced by the streaming age. End-of-year lists no longer question the presence of Abba, Elton John, or Queen collections, and that roster is gradually expanding. Streaming, with its vast amount of data, provides us with a thorough understanding of what people are listening to, but editorialized playlists can also skew where our cultural arbiters lie. In the charts, new artists are in constant competition with the past.
Eminem’s omnipresence reminds us of his undeniable abilities, but it also offers a glimpse into a narrowing, algorithmically curated cultural future. This prospect is far more alarming than any bleach-blond rapper could ever be.
