Eminem’s “When I’m Gone” has reached one billion views on YouTube, marking his seventh track to reach the milestone. The smash single appeared on the rapper’s 2005 greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits and explores the ways Eminem’s career impacts his relationship with his daughter. The accompanying video, directed by Anthony Mandler, illustrates this emotional narrative by portraying Eminem’s guilt when leaving his family for the stage.
“When I’m Gone” charted at No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the Hot Rap tracks. The song is Eminem’s latest to hit 1 billion views. In April, the 2004 Encore track “Mockingbird” crossed the threshold. Last year, “Smack That,” Eminem’s 2006 collaboration with Akon, reached the milestone. Other Eminem songs to achieve 1 billion YouTube views are “Love the Way You Lie,” “Without Me,” “Not Afraid,” and “Rap God.”
Curtain Call: The Hits arrived during a transitional period of Eminem’s career as he began a hiatus from music. The compilation featured the rapper’s most popular singles plus new songs like “When I’m Gone,” “Fack,” and “Shake That” featuring Nate Dogg. Four years later he returned with Relapse which would debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and win a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
Eminem is currently back on the charts with “Houdini,” a track that prominently interpolates Steve Miller Band’s 1982 hit “Abracadabra.” The lead single from the rapper’s upcoming record The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), “Houdini” also samples Eminem’s own 2002 hit “Without Me.” It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album will follow 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By and 2022’s Curtain Call 2, a continuation of Curtain Call: The Hits.
Last month, Eminem’s 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP appeared at No. 80 on Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time list.