Eminem vs. ‘Til I Collapse’ Rapper List: Who Comes Out on Top?
As one of the top rappers in the game, Eminem has built up a considerable amount of credibility for himself: his warped-Cinderella rise to fame (from 8 Mile to multi-millionaire), big-name collaborations, and controversial lyrics of an insightful vulgarism have all given Marshall Mathers substantial bragging rights. And while the Real Slim Shady isn’t shy about showing his hubris, he’s also been known to give credit where it’s duly inspired him. In “Till I Collapse,” the 18th track off the album The Eminem Show, Mathers recites in descending order those rappers he believes demonstrate the best craft. Coming in at the tail end of the list, he names himself.
But what we want to know, is: How does Eminem stack up against his own favorites?
We’ve broken down Shady’s “Till I Collapse” Rapper List, comparing and contrasting each artist’s average ticket prices of the past year, and/or their overall album sales (where available) with Em’s own data – saving, like the surprisingly humble rapper does himself, Mathers for last in each category. To see how Redman, Jay Z, Tupac, Biggie, Andre 3000, Jadakiss, Kurupt, and Nas stand against the musical giant who looks up to them, read through our brief analysis below, or keep scrolling for visuals on ticket prices and record sales.
Eminem vs. “Till I Collapse” Rappers
With available data concentrating solely on the past 2011-2012 year, Mathers lands toward the bottom end of the average ticket-price pack. Jay Z clocks in at No. 1, with the highest average price paid for his MGM Grand Garden Arena show in Vegas last September tallied at $642. That’s almost $300 more than Eminem’s average ticket-price high of $348 dollars, plopped down for his Manchester Farm show around the same time Jay performed in the desert playground. Em’s take is still higher than Jadakiss’ $100 average, but well short of Nas’ $500 top haul.
Moving ahead into album-sales comparisons, including those rappers for whom average ticket-price data weren’t available, the context widens and so does Mathers’ lead. Far and away, Eminem is the top-selling artist of the group. Even posthumous record-crushers Biggie and Tupac, who come in at a staggering 58 and 75 million records, respectively, fall far below Eminem’s 86-million global tally. The others barely bear mentioning – even, or especially, Redman, whom Em calls “Reggie” in “Till I Collapse,” listing him first among his premier rappers. Apparently, the domestic community disagrees: Redman’s US album sales to date only number around 7 million (compared with Eminem’s 40 million), and those include collaborations with Method Man.
To conclude, it would seem it’s “Till I Collapse” Rappers 1, Eminem 1. However, if Em heads out on tour again soon (like he’s bound to?), we’ll have more data with which to play the numbers game, calling for a reevaluation of how the master stacks up against his own inspiration.
“Till I Collapse” Rapper List Average Ticket Prices
Jay Z Average Ticket Prices 2011-2012
CityStateVenueDateAvg. Ticket Price
Las Vegas | NV | MGM Grand Garden Arena | 9/24/2011 | $642.66 |
Atlanta | GA | Philips Arena | 10/28/2011 | $147.15 |
Atlanta | GA | Philips Arena | 10/29/2011 | $149.07 |
Greensboro | NC | Greensboro Coliseum | 10/30/2011 | $138.91 |
Baltimore | MD | 1st Mariner Arena | 11/1/2011 | $122.71 |
Philadelphia | PA | Wells Fargo Center | 11/2/2011 | $126.94 |
Washington | DC | Verizon Center | 11/3/2011 | $181.24 |
East Rutherford | NJ | Izod Center | 11/5/2011 | $262.44 |
East Rutherford | NJ | Izod Center | 11/6/2011 | $203.19 |
New York | NY | Madison Square Garden | 11/7/2011 | $211.10 |
New York | NY | Madison Square Garden | 11/8/2011 | $211.38 |
Sunrise | FL | BankAtlantic Center | 11/14/2011 | $182.24 |
Miami | FL | American Airlines Arena | 11/15/2011 | $178.43 |
Uncasville | CT | Mohegan Sun Arena | 11/18/2011 | $277.10 |
Atlantic City | NJ | Boardwalk Hall | 11/19/2011 | $177.57 |
Boston | MA | TD Garden | 11/21/2011 | $166.80 |
Montreal | QC | Bell Centre | 11/22/2011 | $254.00 |
Toronto | ON | Air Canada Centre | 11/23/2011 | $217.15 |
Toronto | ON | Air Canada Centre | 11/24/2011 | $269.51 |
Auburn Hills | MI | Palace of Auburn Hills | 11/26/2011 | $135.41 |
Pittsburgh | PA | Consol Energy Center | 11/27/2011 | $114.54 |
Kansas City | MO | Sprint Center | 11/29/2011 | $108.89 |
Chicago | IL | United Center | 11/30/2011 | $136.35 |
Chicago | IL | United Center | 12/1/2011 | $186.62 |
New Orleans | LA | New Orleans Arena | 12/3/2011 | $114.25 |
Houston | TX | Toyota Center | 12/5/2011 | $146.25 |
Dallas | TX | American Airlines Center | 12/6/2011 | $123.47 |
Las Vegas | NV | MGM Grand Garden Arena | 12/9/2011 | $189.90 |
Los Angeles | CA | Staples Center | 12/11/2011 | $207.71 |
Los Angeles | CA | Staples Center | 12/12/2011 | $234.81 |
Los Angeles | CA | Staples Center | 12/13/2011 | $180.79 |
San Jose | CA | HP Pavilion | 12/14/2011 | $156.72 |
Tacoma | WA | Tacoma Dome | 12/16/2011 | $106.87 |
Vancouver | BC | Rogers Arena | 12/17/2011 | $178.85 |
Vancouver | BC | Rogers Arena | 12/18/2011 | $121.40 |
New York | NY | Carnegie Hall – Stern Auditorium (New York) | 2/6/2012 | $418.53 |
New York | NY | Carnegie Hall – Stern Auditorium (New York) | 2/7/2012 | $410.87 |
Paris | Palais Omnisports | 6/2/2012 | $166.14 | |
Philadelphia | PA | Benjamin Franklin Parkway | 9/1/2012 | $81.48 |
Philadelphia | PA | Benjamin Franklin Parkway | 9/2/2012 | $64.35 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 9/28/2012 | $224.92 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 9/29/2012 | $179.39 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 9/30/2012 | $124.38 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 10/1/2012 | $142.65 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 10/3/2012 | $120.21 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 10/4/2012 | $130.76 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 10/5/2012 | $136.08 |
Brooklyn | NY | Barclays Center | 10/6/2012 | $159.95 |
Jadakiss Average Ticket Prices 2011-2012
CityStateVenueDateAvg. Ticket Price
New York | NY | Best Buy Theater | 11/24/2011 | $66.09 |
Holmdel | NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center | 9/1/2012 | $96.68 |
Nas Average Ticket Prices 2011-2012
CityStateVenueDateAvg. Ticket Price
Indio | CA | Empire Polo Field | 4/15/2011 | $500.89 |
Philadelphia | PA | Electric Factory | 8/9/2011 | $50.10 |
San Bernardino | CA | San Manuel Amphitheater | 8/20/2011 | $86.07 |
Mountain View | CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 8/27/2011 | $102.62 |
Austin | TX | Zilker Park | 9/16/2011 | $226.57 |
Detroit | MI | Chene Park | 6/9/2012 | $70.00 |
San Bernardino | CA | NOS Events Center | 8/18/2012 | $175.29 |
Mountain View | CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 8/25/2012 | $174.05 |
Holmdel | NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center | 9/1/2012 | $146.42 |
Eminem Average Ticket Price 2011-2012
CityStateVenueDate Avg. Ticket Price
Manchester | TN | Manchester Farm | 6/9/2011 | $348.37 |
“Till I Collapse” Rapper List Album Sales
Redman Album Sales
Around 7 million in the US (worldwide album sales unavailable)
Outkast Album Slaes
Around 25 million in the US (worldwide album sales unavailable)
Tupac Worldwide Album Sales
75 million records
Biggie Worldwide Album Sales
58 million records
Jay Z Worldwide Album Sales
Around 50 million records
Eminem Album Sales
Around 40 million records in the US, 86.5 million worldwide
Eminem: “Till I Collapse”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDmUrlU58E