Eminem’s fifth album “Encore” turns 16.
On this day 16 years ago, Eminem released his fifth studio album ‘Encore‘ through Aftermath, Interscope, and Shady Records. The project debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with sales over 1.5 million and sold 1.7 million copies in its second week. It became the first album to sell 11,000 digital copies in one week.
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The album sold over 11 million copies worldwide and was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA. In 2018, Eminem stated that he rushed the album because of a leak and does not consider it one of his best works.
The album was not well-reviewed by critics, and it became one of Eminem’s most troublesome albums. However, it has aged well, prompting many people to reconsider their opinions of the work. After a leak, the release date of “Encore” was pushed up. The album was supposed to be released on November 16, 2004, however after it leaked online, it was pushed back to November 12, 2004. Eminem was obliged to hastily produce new songs to replace some of the leaked tracks as a result of the leak. Eminem was dissatisfied with the quality of the new songs and how they altered the album’s tone.
He said in a 2017 interview: “I remember four songs leaked and I had to go to L.A. and get Dre and record new ones. I was in a room by myself writing songs in 25, 30 minutes because we had to get it done, and what came out was so goofy. That’s how I ended up making songs like “Rain Man” and “Big Weenie.” They’re pretty out there. If those other songs hadn’t leaked, Encore would’ve been a different album.”
Despite this, “Encore” has become a commercial hit. The album sold 710,000 copies in its first three days and 1.5 million copies in its first week, earning it a four-time Platinum certification by the end of the year. In terms of digital sales, “Encore” was the first to breakthrough. The album broke digital records by being the first to sell 10,000 digital downloads in a single week.
14 years ago today, Eminem released his fifth studio album “Encore”.
Encore debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.5 million copies in it’s first week in the US. It’s the second highest first week sales in the US hip-hop history (the first being MMLP 1.7m). pic.twitter.com/9tdI0YJv0U
— EMINEM (@Eminem_Posts__) November 12, 2020
