Eminem And Jay-Z: By The Numbers

Cincinnati Bengals wide-receiving duo Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens refer to themselves as the Batman and Robin of the NFL, but in the hip-hop world, Jay-Z and Eminem are more like the Batman and Superman of music. And just like it's rare to see the two titans of comics together in the same panel, you know it's a special occasion when Slim Shady and Jigga team up for a live show.

That's why fans are freaking out about the first of four planned joint concerts between the dynamic duo, which kick off at Em's hometown stadium, Comerica Park, on Thursday night (September 2) and wind up next weekend in Jay's backyard at Yankee Stadium on September 12 and 13. Nobody knows who the pair will bring onstage as special guests or what they'll play, though we did learn Wednesday that VMA nominee B.o.B will open all four dates.

But how do the massive careers of these two titans measure up? Both have sold tens of millions of albums and played to hundreds of thousands of fans during their decade-plus in the public eye, and each brings a unique strength and style.

Let's break down their numbers to get a sense of what led up to this historic collabo:

On the Charts
Eminem has been a chart titan for his entire career, posting six #1 albums in a row on the Billboard 200, along with four #1 singles on the Billboard singles chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, his U.S. album sales are 38.3 million, with an additional 30.5 million U.S. downloads on songs where he's the lead artist.

His best-selling download to date is "Lose Yourself," which SoundScan reports has sold 2.9 million copies, while his feature on the Akon tune "Smack That" pads his résumé with another 3 million in downloads credited to 'Kon. Marshall's best-selling album is The Marshall Mathers LP, which has banked more than 10 million copies.

Jay has some equally gaudy numbers, beginning with a jaw-dropping 11 #1 albums on the Billboard 200, along with four #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, though that includes only one solo #1, "Empire State of Mind," and three features.

Though Eminem has stronger overseas sales, Jigga's not far behind in total U.S. album sales, with Nielsen SoundScan reporting that the Yankees fan has sold 31.4 million discs to date, including collaborative works with R. Kelly and Linkin Park. He's also no slouch in the download department, clocking 21.4 million downloaded tracks as a lead artist, with the Alicia Keys-featuring track "Empire State of Mind" ringing up his biggest digital numbers at 3.9 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life stands as Jay's best-selling album to date, with more than 5.3 million units shifted.

When Nielsen SoundScan released the list of the best-selling artists of the decade so far, Em topped it at 31.1 million, with Jay rounding out the top 10 at #10 with 19.4 million.

The pair are almost even when it comes to Grammys, with Eminem edging out Jay 11-10. But when you tally up total worldwide sales, it's clear that Slim Shady holds the crown, with more than 80 million units shifted to Jay's 40 million.

On the Stage
"Rap, as a genre, does not translate as well to a concert stage as bands in the recorded music world," Pollstar Editor in Chief Gary Bongiovanni said. "And not a lot of acts have that strong a touring career, but among touring rap artists, I'd have to say these two, along with 50 Cent, are among the most successful touring rap artists of their time."

Eminem has the lighter touring résumé, according to Bongiovanni. Unlike Jay, who has toured more than half a dozen times in this decade, Em, 37, has only really had a handful of major outings, starting with some non-headlining dates in 2001 on the Up in Smoke Tour, as well as taking the lead on the inaugural dates of his Anger Management package.

In 2002, he headlined the second Anger Management outing, hooking up with Papa Roach, Ludacris and Xzibit and the X-Ecutioners, which Bongiovanni said averaged around 23,000 fans per show and grossed $1.3 million per date and, like the first effort, also went overseas for some European dates.

There were a few sporadic shows in 2003, and then Em brought Anger Management back in 2005 with Ludacris, G-Unit, Lil Jon and 50 Cent for a 24-show swing that, according to the data on the 22 shows reported to Pollstar, averaged more than 15,000 fans and grossed more than $1 million per show. The planned European dates were scotched when Em checked into rehab for treatment of an addiction to prescription medication.

Since then, Shady has only performed a handful of times. "There's something to be said for pent-up demand," Bongiovanni said of Eminem's success at drawing major crowds during his sporadic touring career.

Jay, 40, on the other hand, has lately made touring an intricate part of his career. He's gone from headlining 3,000- to 6,000-seat venues in 2001 to playing to an average of more than 10,000 on his aborted Best of Both Worlds double-bill with R. Kelly in 2004 — which grossed more than $1.4 million per stop — and right around that for his 2009 Blueprint 3 Tour with N.E.R.D., Wale and J. Cole. That tour hit arenas and played to an average of 8,500 fans, grossing $543,000 per show.

While he continues to be a big draw in Europe, with his high-energy, full-band presentation, Jay solidified his place as one of the premier rap touring acts in the U.S. in 2010 by hooking up with Young Jeezy and Trey Songz for a sold-out arena tour that averaged 12,900 fans and around $1 million per show, according to Pollstar. Jay will also open some dates for U2 in November and made stops at the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals this summer.

The Scorecard
That puts the two rap giants around even, so you can expect them to bring the goods at what promises to be a historic four-night stand.

What special guests do you hope Em and Jay will bring out at the hometown shows? Let us know in the comments!

Eminem Beef With Insane Clown Posse Long Over

Eminem and Jay-Z will take the stage at Comerica Park in Slim Shady's hometown of Detroit on Thursday (September 2) for the kickoff of the unprecedented Home and Home concerts. The shows feature arguably the world's two biggest MCs onstage together in baseball stadiums in each of their respective birthplaces. There was a time back in the day when the idea of Eminem representing Detroit would have called forth the ire of fellow Motor City madmen Insane Clown Posse, but that is now water under the bridge.

"The beef we had with him was 11 years ago," Shaggy 2 Dope explained. "That's like beefing with somebody in high school and going to your 20th high school reunion, and you still have heat with that kid?"

In fact, the proverbial hatchet between Em and ICP has been buried for quite a few years, and the credit for that goes to late D12 member Proof. "Proof squashed that beef before he passed away," Violent J said. "He contacted us and we had a bowling game — it was really cool. We're something different. They could have skipped over us and said forget them, but they included us and said let's squash it."

ICP have even been enthusiasts of Eminem's later work. "Some people call it horrorcore, we call it the wicked sh--, but it was cool to see him dabbling with that again on the first Relapse record, with '3 A.M.' and stuff like that," Violent J added.

Though their lyrics remain as intense as ever, ICP have clearly mellowed a bit. They have good reason to, as the 20-year veterans have legions of followers (the Juggalos), a minor merchandising empire and their very own annual festival. Their latest project is a just-released film called "Big Money Rustlas," comedy-western and a spiritual prequel to their cult hit "Big Money Hustlas."

With their focus on a number of different business ventures, ICP are goal-oriented. And though they're cool with Eminem putting a face on the city they call home, they've got goals of their own. "We're not really looking at how well he's representing Detroit, because we're representing Detroit ourselves," Violent J said. "So we got our eye on that prize."

DJ Khaled Says An Eminem Collabo Would 'Rip The Streets Apart'

DJ Khaled is in the production stage of his upcoming LP, We the Best Forever. He has beats cooking every night in the We the Best studio in Miami. But while most of the people he wants on this project already have solid relationships with the mogul DJ, there is one MC he's never met — nor done a song with — and he needs him to be a part of the movement.

"The list goes on and on," Khaled said after rattling off some of the names of his past collaborators, including Kanye West, Jay-Z, the Birdman, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Akon. "This album I'm working with them boys again. It's gonna get bigger and bigger. The collaboration I want to make happen and the people want to make happen is a DJ Khaled/ Eminem collaboration. I know if I get with Eminem and put him on one of my anthems ... 'cause I make these anthems. I got something so special in my drive that for Eminem on there."

He added that if Em doesn't want to team up off the strength of Khaled's track record alone, then he should do it for hip-hop.

"We're doing it for hip-hop. We doing this for hip-hop," Khaled told MTV News emphatically. 'I'm a big fan of his. I don't have a way to contact him. I don't know how I can sit down and play him some music; whatever I gotta do. Eminem, I got love. I wanna make this crazy record with you. Let's make history. Let's rip the streets apart. I got the idea already [that] I wanna do with Slim Shady. I got the beat right now, so crazy, the concept. It's something the people are gonna love too. If I get Slim Shady on this joint, I'mma tear up the streets.

"The album is called We The Best Forever. There's only certain people who could be on this album," he said. "It's time, I think I deserve it. The streets deserve it. When [Eminem] meets me personally, he's gonna see this energy. He's gonna understand why these anthems come out like that. I'm gonna sit with him, and we gonna vibe. I know what he's gonna do: He's gonna go crazy!"

Khaled recently signed a recording deal with his good friends Birdman and Slim, the CEOs of Cash Money Records.

"I'm so excited about life, making music, excited to put my album out on Cash Money. I've always been excited to make music and make these hits. This album is coming out crazy already and I'm excited. All my albums, me personally, I feel they're super-big and classic. Every year I have one big record that's huge, anthemic."

Should Eminem jump on the Miami don's next album? Tell us what you think in the comments!