Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP 2: Anatomy of a Chart-Topper

Pop quiz: which musical act sold the most U.S. albums in the 2000s? Not the Beatles, not Elvis, not Madonna, not Michael Jackson. By a margin of 2 million, the honor belongs to Eminem, who sold 32.2 million albums during that span.

Last week he added another 792,000 units to his career tally with the debut of his latest album,The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which claimed the No. 1 spot on theBillboardcharts. The LP’s opening-week performance wasthe year’s second-best, trailing only Justin Timberlak...