Eminem’s ‘Curtain Call: The Hits’ Is The First Hip-Hop Album To Spend 400 Weeks On The U.K. Chart

Eminem surprised the world earlier this year by dropping a complete new album, Music to Be Murdered By, out of thin air, declaring that he was still a force to be reckoned with in 2020. Now, that title continues to slip slightly on charts all around the world, but in the U.K., his most successful release yet hits a very special milestone, one that none in his genre have made it to in the country.

The rapper’s Curtain Call: The Hits compilation lands at No. 33 on the current U.K. albums ranking, but it’s not the position that’s worth noting. The set has now lived on the Official Chart Company’s tally of the most popular full-lengths in the country for 400 frames. In doing so, it has become the first hip-hop release to make it to that mark, and when including all titles from all genres, the number of titles that have managed to live somewhere between Nos. 1 and 100 for at least 400 frames doesn’t expand by much.

There are now fewer than 15 albums in U.K. history that have charted for at least 400 weeks, and Eminem joins the likes of Amy Winehouse, ABBA, Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley and the Wailers in producing a release popular enough to sell and stream enough copies to appear on the list for as many turns.

Curtain Call: The Hits hit No. 1 in the U.K. when it was first released back in 2005, buoyed by its tracklist, which includes most of Eminem’s biggest smashes up until that point in his career. The title also produced two new charting singles, including “When I’m Gone,” which peaked at No. 4 in the island nation. Since it arrived, the project has been certified seven-times platinum for shifting at least 2.1 million copies in the country.

The compilation is one of just two Eminem albums that have charted for triple-digit weeks, as his debut release The Slim Shady LP has now ranked somewhere on the list for 134 turns. 

For the moment, it doesn’t look like any other hip-hop albums will be matching what Eminem has just managed with Curtain Call: The Hits, as none are anywhere close to hitting 400 weeks on the chart.

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