In a record-breaking move, rapper Eminem spent an astonishing 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2002 with his biggest hit to date, ‘Lose Yourself‘. The standout track from the ‘8 Mile’ soundtrack climbed to the top of the charts on November 9th, 2002 and spent more weeks at the peak than any other song that year. ‘Lose Yourself’ was also a monster hit on the worldwide scale, charting on 24 international tallies, and reaching #1 in the UK. Enimen also received immense critical acclaim for the record, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song and 2 Grammy Awards, in addition to having the honor of having the first rap song ever to be nominated for ‘Song of the Year’. In 2009, Billboard Magazine listed the song as the 28th most successful song of the decade.
Hits like ‘Lose Yourself’ is the reason why Hip-Hop dominated the Billboard charts for the first half of the decade. At on point, Eminem was an unstoppable force, not only in that genre, but in the entire music industry. However, although he continues to be a major sales success, his critical appeal has waned in recent times and many long for him to return to his frustrated (and somewhat disturbing) roots. Nevertheless, this song serves as a key piece of evidence as to why the ‘King of Blue-eyed Rap’ will be noted as one of the greatest MCs of our time.
