Eminem Stops Taylor Swift From Making History

For the first time in months, Taylor Swift doesn’t rule the Billboard 200. The singer had been running the show on the most important albums chart in the U.S. since early May. She faced tough competition from a number of superstars, but one of the most successful rappers ever turned out to be the one who ended her winning streak.

Eminem debuts his new album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard 200. As the hip-hop powerhouse launches his latest set atop the tally, he stops Swift from making history.

Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department currently shares the record for the second-most weeks at No. 1 from a title’s debut in first place. She is tied with Morgan Wallen, whose One Thing at a Time managed the same feat before stepping down.

With a twelfth week at No. 1–without ever dipping from that position–Swift broke out of her match with Whitney Houston. Until The Tortured Poets Department spent its dozenth week on top, the two women were tied for the honor of having the longest-running leader on the Billboard 200 from its debut at No. 1, as Houston’s managed 11 frames in charge from its arrival until it finally ceded control over the list back in the ‘80s.

Jimmy Buffett was hugely successful as a musician when it came to album sales and turning his popularity into a brand. That commercial appeal largely didn’t translate to winning awards, though.

The late musician never won a Grammy. He was only nominated twice for music’s biggest prize, and he was sadly never chosen as the favorite by voters.

Buffett passed away last September after a private battle with cancer, but before he died, he recorded one final album. It’s that collection that could bring him back to the Grammys, giving him what may be his last chance to win a piece of gold.

Equal Strain on All Parts was released in early November of 2023, which makes it eligible for the upcoming Grammys. While the set wasn’t exactly a critic’s pick, the urge to reward Buffett and his legacy may prove to be too strong for some voters to ignore.

The full-length could earn Buffett his first nomination in the Best Country Album category. His only two career nods were both in the Best Country Collaboration with Vocals—an arena which has been folded into others and which doesn’t exist anymore—so clearly the Recording Academy sees him as country.