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Chart Beat

Eminem's 'Houdini' Scores a No. 1 Debut on the Canadian Hot 100

The lead single from his upcoming 12th record, The Death of Slim Shady, has given Eminem his highest spot on the chart in six years.

Eminem

Eminem

Courtesy Photo

Look who's back: Eminem has grabbed the top spot on this week's Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with "Houdini," the lead single from his upcoming 12th LP.

The Steve Miller Band-sampling track is Eminem's highest placement on the chart since 2018's "Killshot," which held the No. 1 spot for two weeks, and is his sixth No. 1 in Canada. "Houdini" is also at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Exc. U.S. charts.


On the U.S. Hot 100, "Houdini" couldn't quite dethrone "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, landing at No. 2, but that's still impressive for an artist 25 years into his career.

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The song's No. 1 debut isn't so surprising, though, given it's been gaining steam on Canadian radio. Plus, Eminem's catalogue is still in heavy rotation for Canadians — three of his albums appeared on the year-end Billboard Canadian Albums chart for 2023.

"Houdini" is a nostalgia trip for Eminem, as he taps into his old persona, Slim Shady, to fire off a litany of offensive and controversy-baiting lyrics. The music video is a comic-book style caper in which Eminem faces off against his former self, featuring cameos by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Pete Davidson and many more.

Whether the throwback angle is enough to keep the single in the charts going forward is another question — will "Houdini" perform a vanishing act?

Elsewhere on the Canadian Hot 100, Sabrina Carpenter's cool and catchy "Espresso" reaches a new peak at No. 4, while Chappell Roan, a recent first-timer on the chart, has two new entries with "Red Wine Supernova" and "Hot To Go!" both of which come from her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion debut "Wanna Be" at No. 80 and Jelly Roll enters with "Halfway to Hell" at No. 94, but no Canadians debut on the chart this week.

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Check out the full chart here.

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David Vertesi
Justin Broadbent

David Vertesi

FYI

New & Upcoming Album Releases: David Vertesi Goes Acoustic, Bryan Adams Hosts a Holiday Jam

This week also features a new country album from Johnny 99, the solo project of John Sponarski, guitarist in City and Colour. Find the full calendar of new releases here.

Album releases are slowing with Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the onset of the holiday season, but there are some notable Canadian releases coming this week. Leading the pack is a new release from David Vertesi, best known as the leader of popular indie rockers Hey Ocean!. The B.C. singer-songwriter launched his solo career in 2010 with Cardiography. He celebrates its 15th anniversary by releasing Cardiography (Acoustic), a drastically stripped-down reimagining of that acclaimed album. It was recorded in a live, minimalist setting with production by longtime collaborator Daniel Klenner (Peach Pit, Dear Rouge, Hey Ocean!).

Here is a live performance video of the acoustic version of album track, “All Night, All Night, All Night," featuring guest vocals by Hannah Georgas. She was also on the original cut.

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