Morgan Wallen and Post Malone Block Eminem’s ‘Houdini’ From Achieving a No. 1 Debut
Eminem is back in full force in the lead-up to his upcoming 12th album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).” The record, which is currently without a release date (but slated for sometime this summer), was preceded by “Houdini,” which debuts at No. 2 as his highest-charting single since “The Monster,” featuring Rihanna, topped the list at No. 1 in 2013 and 2014.
Eminem debuted “Houdini” as part of a surprise four-song performance at “Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central,” a hometown event featuring Diana Ross, Big Sean, Jack White and more. It was also released with an official music video that referenced his 2002 hit, “Without Me.” With featured guest appearances from 50 Cent, Pete Davidson, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Alchemist, the “Houdini” video sees Eminem stepping into a time-traveling portal, hinting at the album’s nostalgia-induced themes.
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Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” blocked “Houdini” from hitting No. 1 in its first week. The country song — the second No. 1 country hit this year behind Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” — adds a fourth week at No. 1 with much of its impact coming from radio reach: the song currently boasts 59.3 million airplay impressions and 45.6 million official streams, according to data provided by Luminate.
Meanwhile, Eminem’s “Houdini” (a May 31 release), opens with nearly 49 million streams and 4 million radio impressions. It’s No. 8 on Spotify’s U.S. Top 50 chart and No. 4 on the streaming service’s Top 50 global songs chart. The single has also been performing well overseas, where “Houdini” debuts at No. 1 on the U.K. songs chart.
Outside of Eminem, there are no new releases in the Top 10 of the singles chart with much of the remaining titles being repeats from previous weeks. On the Billboard 200 albums chart, Shaboozey’s latest LP, “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going,” debuts at No. 5 (the album’s lead single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” remains in the Top Five of the Hot 100) while ATEEZ achieves its fifth top 10-charting effort with “Golden Hour: Part.1” at No. 2. Taylor Swift continues to lead the list for a seventh consecutive week.
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