Eminem has been pumping out album after album since 1996 and managed to parlay that relentless work ethic into a diamond-selling career. In 2020, Slim Shady hasn’t slowed down, releasing his 11th studio album Music To Be Murdered By in January and Music To Be Murdered By: Side B just last week.
The latter boasted 16 new tracks in addition to the original 20 and featured Dr. Dre, Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Premier and singer-songwriter Skylar Grey, among others. Now, one of those songs is being used to soundtrack the upcoming UFC 257 rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
On Tuesday (December 29), Shady tweeted ESPN’s trailer for the event, which features the song “Higher.” As clips of McGregor and Poirier’s first fight flash across the screen, Em raps, “Where am I supposed to go from here?/Really I have no idea/All I know is every time I think I hit my ceiling/I go higher than I’ve ever fuckin’ been.”
Survival mode! #Higher #UFC257 @ufc @DustinPoirier @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/RKdQVlGITB
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) December 29, 2020
Rumors of a deluxe version of Music To Be Murdered By started floating around earlier this month but reached fever pitch when Dr. Dre affiliate Dem Jointz shared an Instagram post inadvertently revealing the project’s cover art. Sure enough, Music To Be Murdered By: Side B arrived on December 17 to the delight of Stans worldwide.
The project debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — just behind Taylor Swift’s Evermore album and Sir Paul McCartney’s McCartney III — selling over 94,000 total album-equivalent units in its opening week. In contrast, the original Music To Be Murdered By landed at No. 1 with over 279,000 total album-equivalent units sold.
Technically, Side B brought Eminem’s historic Billboard reign to an end. It marked the first time a project of his hasn’t debuted in the coveted spot since 1999’s The Slim Shady LP, which entered the chart at No. 2. Needless to say, Em still remains one of music’s best-selling artists of all time.
As noted the ESPN trailer, the Poirier Vs. McGregor 2 event goes down on January 23 at 10 p.m. EST.