Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, has remained on the on the Billboard 200 for a total of 350 weeks, with only one other album hitting that mark.
In its first week, GKMC debuted at No. 2, selling 242,000 copies in its first week and earned the highest first-week hip-hop album sales of 2012 from a male artist. It also featured singles such as Swimming Pools, Poetic Justice, and Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe. It was later certified as triple platinum, and Lamar was even nominated four times for a Grammy Award in 2014, which included Album of the Year.
Chart Data tweeted on Monday that Kendrick’s album ties with Eminem’s 2002 album, The Eminem Show, as the only hip-hop studio albums to appear on the Billboard 200 chart for 250 weeks. While Eminem has a 10-year head start on Kendrick, numbers show that the HUMBLE rapper may very well surpass Eminem, as GKMC currently sits at No. 152. The two have both previously worked closely with rapper, Dr. Dre.
Lamar said that he looks up to Eminem, as he even inspired a track on the sophomore album after observing Eminem in the studio.
“When I have that aggression in the record like that (on Backseat Freestyle), that’s tricks that I learned being in that studio and dedicating myself; being a student,” Lamar told Vibe. “Eminem was definitely a sought-out player that I always respected and looked up to.”
Lamar has since released five studio albums, including the Black Panther inspired album. Only time will tell if Lamar’s album will surpass Slim Shady’s, but one thing’s for sure, both artists have established themselves as some of the greats in the rap game.
.@kendricklamar's 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' has now spent 350 weeks on the Billboard 200. It joins 'The Eminem Show' as the only hip-hop studio album to reach this milestone.
— chart data (@chartdata) July 15, 2019
