Eminem has had countless hit songs, but this one has made him the most money over the years.
Eminem has been the bad boy of hip-hop for over twenty years and, although his time in the spotlight has not always been pleasant, he is now a household name and an established artist with an esteemed history in music.
Yet, it is one of his dozens of songs that has broken the most records, including the fact that it was all recorded in one take. So, what is this song and what records did it break? Let’s take a look at the song Eminem recorded on a lunch break while filming 8 Mile.
“Lose Yourself” Is Eminem’s Most-Listened-To Song Ever
“Lose Yourself,” which came out in October 2002 and earned Eminem an Oscar in 2003 as part of the soundtrack of his semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile is his most-listened-to song. The song was an intrinsic part of the movie’s plot and also serves to remind listeners of the hip-hop artist’s arduous journey to success.
The song took a life of its own after becoming Eminem’s first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. It became the biggest hit of his career and was the first ever hip-hop song to win an Oscar for Best Original Song.
The demo for the song pre-existed its inclusion in the 8 Mile soundtrack. However, Eminem wasn’t happy with the lyrics initially, so he put it on the back burner until writing music for the movie between takes.
More interestingly, he was able to record the song in one take, which is a feat for anyone. He was inspired by the original demo and didn’t feel like he needed to change much.
“For some reason, I just captured something there I didn’t want to change,” he said. Which was for the better, seeing how things turned out.
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” Broke Multiple Records (And The Bank)
Many music critics lavished praise on the song and Eminem’s ability to both write music and rap, considering it one of the best hip-hop songs of all time and definitely Eminem’s best song.
In addition to receiving an Oscar, the song also won a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. The video for it, co-directed by Eminem, also received accolades, including the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.
In 2004, Rolling Stone included “Lose Yourself” on its list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 2020, “Lose Yourself” was also number 11 on the list of 50 best-selling paid downloads of all time, having made the artist $7.74 million. It is one of three songs by Eminem on the list and the highest placed, with only 10 thousand copies needing to sell to enter the top 10.
In 2021, the smash single reached one billion listens on Spotify, which was a cause for celebration.
“You can do anything you set your mind to, man…” Eminem wrote on X, adding a video showing the song’s run between its release in 2002 and the current date.
How Much Has Eminem Made from “Lose Yourself”?
Moreover, the memoir he wrote in 2008, The Way I Am, and his work on 8 Mile also brought him some lucrative cash. The star also showed interest in real estate and bought, developed, and sold several properties at a profit.
In 2002 and 2003, when the single was released and won its accolades, Eminem earned less than $100 million, but it is difficult to guess how much of this can be attributed to one song alone. Moreover, 8 Mile, the movie which showcases “Lose Yourself” earned more than $240 million at the box office while its budget was a modest $41 million. Eminem must have also gotten a cut of that, on top of showing that he is a pretty good actor.
However, the hip-hop star also lost money during the same time. His on-again off-again relationship with Kim Scott and their marriages and subsequent divorces resulted in costly separation agreements. Nevertheless, it is difficult to guess how much money that Eminem directly earned from “Lose Yourself” was involved in these legal costs.
In addition to his legal costs, some of the earnings from “Lose Yourself” may have gone to Eminem’s philanthropy efforts. Because of his struggles with poverty as a child and teenager, he created the Marshall Mathers Foundation to help disadvantaged children in the Detroit area.
In the end, Eminem seems to have benefited from “Lose Yourself” more than in terms of money alone. The song improved his standing in the hip-hop world and exposed more people to his mastery as a rapper and artist.
