Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” has officially been viewed one billion times on YouTube. The track appeared on the rapper’s third album, 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP and is one of his signature songs. The teasing lead single blurred the lines between the rapper’s persona and reality while name-dropping pop culture figures including Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee, Will Smith, Britney Spears, Carson Daly, and more. The track was added to the album at the last-minute in an attempt to recreate the self-referential success of “My Name Is” off 1999’s The Slim Shady LP.
“The Real Slim Shady” is one of Eminem’s most iconic hits. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the rapper’s first song to top the charts in the UK and Ireland. The song took home an award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 2001 Grammys. “The Real Slim Shady”’s music video, directed by Philip G. Atwell and Dr. Dre, features cameos from comedian Kathy Griffin, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, and Eminem’s bandmates from the hip-hop group D12. It won Best Video and Best Male Video at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards where Eminem performed the track alongside an army of Slim Shady lookalikes, recreating the track’s video.
“The Real Slim Shady” is Eminem’s eighth video to reach one billion YouTube views, following “When I’m Gone,” “Mockingbird,” “Smack That” [ft. Akon], “Love the Way You Lie” [ft. Rihanna], “Without Me,” “Not Afraid,” and “Rap God.”
In July, Eminem dropped The Death Of Slim Shady (Coupe De Grâce). The rapper’s 12th album features the chart-topping single “Houdini,” as well as “Tobey,” a collaboration with fellow Michigan hip hop icons BabyTron and Big Sean, and “Somebody Save Me,” featuring rapper-turned-country-superstar Jelly Roll. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Watch Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” now.