Eminem's "Killshot" Marks Biggest YouTube Debut For A Hip-Hop Video Ever

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 202259.9K Views

Eminem performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards which broadcasted live on TBS, TNT, and truTV at The Forum on March 11, 2018 in Inglewood, California.

Eminem's "KILLSHOT" is the third overall biggest debut on YouTube ever.

Much like his album Kamikaze, Eminem gave us no forewarning before he dropped his anticipated diss track towards Machine Gun Kelly, "KILLSHOT." Em gave us four minutes of straight bars tearing into Machine Gun Kelly, Joe Budden and other naysayers. As expected, the song was pretty much the topic of conversation for the past few days and unsurprisingly, it has also marked the biggest debut for a hip-hop video on YouTube ever.

Billboard reports that Eminem's "KILLSHOT" has officially broken the record for the biggest YouTube debut for a hip-hop video in history. The song garnered 38.1M views within the first 24 hours of its release. YouTube also said that it was also the third biggest overall debut in the company's history.

Eminem initially threw shots at Machine Gun Kelly at the end of August on his new album, Kamikaze. MGK later responded with his track "Rap Devil" which now has over 95M views since its release. "Rap Devil" ultimately warranted Em's record-breaking diss track, "KILLSHOT."

While it seemed as if people were initially championing Machine Gun Kelly for going at the rap legend, that might not be entirely the case. According to some concert-goers, Machine Gun Kelly found himself getting booed during a performance of "Rap Devil" while he was opening up for Fall Out Boy on tour. Additionally, MGK was accused of tricking fans at the concert to pose for his Instagram post where he's seen wearing a t-shirt with the cover art of "KILLSHOT."

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.