Earlier this month, Dr. Dre revealed that Eminem is working on a new album, which is slated to drop later this year. As fans wait for that as-yet-untitled collection, the rapper debuts a new full-length on the Billboard charts this week, scoring a surprising win.
Eminem debuts his new collection Fortnite Radio on two rankings published by Billboard this week. The set was made available on vinyl following the hip-hop powerhouse’s recent appearance in the online game platform, and fans were quick to snap up copies of the project, which is decidedly different from anything he’s shared before–at least when it comes to the method by which he shared it with the world.
Fortnite Radio launches highest on the Vinyl Albums chart. On that tally, Eminem’s latest opens at No. 8. It’s only his fourth career placement on the list.
Eminem’s title scores the third-highest start of the week on the vinyl-only tally, coming in behind new releases from Kacey Musgraves (Deeper Well, No. 1) and Justin Timberlake (Everything I Thought It Was, No. 2). It’s also tied as his lowest-charting ever, but it still managed to enter the top 10.
Over on the Top Album Sales chart, Fortnite Radio doesn’t fare quite as well. The project debuts at No. 19 on the ranking of the most-purchased albums and EPs in the country. According to Luminate, the project opens with 3,705 copies sold.
Fortnite Radio marks Eminem’s fourteenth studio effort to find its way to the Top Album Sales chart. The set is one of only two to fail to reach the top 10, and most of his projects have risen all the way to No. 1, as the rapper has no issue selling copies of a brand new release the week it drops.
On that ranking, Eminem earns the fourth-loftiest debut of the week. Fortnite Radio comes in behind the aforementioned new projects from Musgraves (No. 1) and Timberlake (No. 2), as well as The Black Crowes’ Happiness Bastards (No. 5).
