Eminem has notched his 10th song in Spotify’s Billions Club with “The Monster,” his 2013 collaboration with Rihanna.
The song, from Em’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” passed the 1 billion streams marker on the streaming service this week. It’s his second song from the album to earn 1 billion streams, following “Rap God,” and his second collab with Rihanna to reach the 1 billion marker, after their 2010 smash “Love the Way You Lie.”
“The Monster” topped Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart for four weeks at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. On YouTube, the song’s video has been viewed 929 million times, and in March 2022 it was certified 8-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The track, which was co-written by Bebe Rexha, finds Eminem confronting his relationship with fame, while Rihanna sings the song’s chorus. The pair won a Grammy Award for the song, for Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration, in 2015.
Following the release of “The Monster,” Eminem and Rihanna hit the road for a short tour that included two August 2014 shows at Comerica Park. To date, they are the last concerts Eminem played in Detroit.
Eminem previously hit 1 billion streams with his songs “Stan,” “Mockingbird,” “Godzilla,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “Lose Yourself,” “‘Till I Collapse” and “Without Me.”
“The Monster” is Rihanna’s 14th song to pass 1 billion streams on Spotify, following “Work,” “This is What You Came For,” “Needed Me,” “Umbrella,” “Love on the Brain,” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds,” “Stay,” “FourFiveSeconds,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Too Good,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and the aforementioned “Love the Way You Lie.”
“Not Afraid,” Eminem’s 2010 self-empowerment anthem, is currently sitting at 985 million streams and is likely his next entry into the Billions Club.
“Lose Yourself” is his most streamed song, with 2.1 billion streams, followed by “Till I Collapse,” with 1.9 billion.
agraham@detroitnews.com