Justin Bieber and Eminem are vastly different musicians. This arguably makes it hard to compare them. However, Billboard has created a Fan Face-Off where fans get to vote for their favorite to see who has the biggest fan base.
Justin Bieber vs Eminem is one popular face-off. Others include Drake vs Ariana Grande and Liam Payne vs Kanye West. We’ll take a deeper look into Justin Bieber and Eminem, to see which artist comes out on top.
Bieber vs. Eminem Musical Style
There are so many differences it’s difficult to know where to start. Em’s flow is iconic, and has been since his breakout “The Slim Shady LP”. Bieber burst on the scene with the sugary sweet pop hit “Baby”. He’s since matured, exploring country collaborations and EDM.
Some artists blur the lines between genres, but Em is firmly established as a rapper. His music sometimes contains suggestions of other genres, but it’s still rap. Bieber has expanded his repertoire, but he is a pop star, and this isn’t likely to change either.
This makes for an interesting apples to oranges type of comparison. Perhaps determining which artist is better is an impossible task. Still, studying their differences is fascinating because they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Quick Facts
We’ll start by looking at some quick facts for both artists. Who is more popular on social media? Who has more sales?
Justin Bieber
- Birth name: Justin Drew Bieber
- Born in London, Canada, on March 1, 1994
- 5′ 9″ tall
- 6 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, 44 singles
- Over 20 million albums and 645,000 singles sold
- 290 million Net worth
- 14 grammy nominations and two awards, 671 nominations, and 290 wins
- 167 million followers on IG, 113 million Twitter followers,89 million Facebook fans
Eminem
- Birth name: Marshall Bruce Mathers III
- Born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph Missouri
- Height 5’8″
- 11 studio albums, 2 soundtrack albums, 2 collaboration albums, 2 box sets
- 42 million tracks and 49.1 million albums sold in the United States, and 100 million albums worldwide
- Streamed over 4 million times on Spotify 2020
- Net worth 230 million
- Academy Award, 15 Grammy awards, 2780 award nominations, and 398 wins
- 32 million IG followers, 23 million Twitter followers, 87 million likes on Facebook
Justin Bieber vs Eminem Albums and Sales
Both artists have impressive stats. Rapper Eminem is the more prolific of the two artists, but he was in the rap game long before singer Justin Bieber came onto the scene. Eminem has 11 studio albums, and Justin Bieber has 6.
When it comes to sales, Eminem has sold 42 million tracks. Justin Bieber has sold 645,000 singles. Eminem has sold 100 million records worldwide, compared to the Biebs 20 million.
Ironically, despite much higher overall sales, Justin Bieber beats Eminem in net worth. Bieber is worth 290 million, while Eminem has 230 million.
Social Media Popularity
Bieber far exceeds Em in Instagram and Twitter popularity. Bieber has 167 million IG followers, while Em has 32 million. The Biebs has 113 million Twitter followers, and Eminem has 23 million.
The two are much closer in popularity on Facebook, with Bieber having 89 million and Eminem having 87 million Facebook likes. This could be because Biever has a younger fan base, and younger people are more active on Twitter and IG.
Awards
Both artists have many awards and nominations under their belt. Em has won 14 Grammy awards, while Bieber has won two. In addition to music, Eminem has won an Academy Award for the song “Lose Yourself” in the movie 8 Mile.
Em has also won 8 American Music Awards. Bieber tops him in this category, with 18 wins. When it comes to the Billboard Music Awards, The Biebs is also slightly ahead, with 20 wins. The Real Slim Shady has scored 17.
Youth and education
The youth of Em and Bieber are at first glance, as different as their music. Eminem moved around as a young child with his mother, who separated from his father. They eventually found their way to a rough Detroit neighborhood. His experiences there was the basis for the movie 8 Mile. Em is often proclaimed as the greatest rapper of all time, and credits his early struggles as key to his success.
Bieber was born in Canada and eventually moved to California. He spent time with his grandparents when he wasn’t living with his mother. He seemed to have a fairly typical childhood.
However, there are a few similarities between the two. Both dropped out of high school, presumably to pursue their careers, at a young age. Both had a difficult relationship with their mother.
Big break and Career Growth
Eminem began in the underground rap scene. He began performing at open mic competitions at 14. He formed D12 along with other local rappers. He was discovered by Dr. Dre. Under Dre’s direction, he released the Slim Shady LP. He followed it up with the wildly successful Marshall Mathers LP.
He wasn’t the first white rapper, but he was the first to become famous rapping about his life struggles. One of his most famous lines is, “They say I can’t rap about being broke no more. They didn’t say I can’t rap about coke no more.” Over the years his music has matured. He still raps about his struggles, but also offers encouragement to listeners.
Bieber signed with Def Jam at 12 years old, after being discovered on Youtube. Usher and Scooter Braun guided his early career. My World was a hit single. “Baby” was a single on the second album and was once the most-watched video on Youtube.
Rivalries and Controversies
Both artists have had their share of rivalries and controversies. Em’s most famous rivalry was with Machine Gun Kelly, also known as MGK. The 2020 rivalry spawned some epic songs, including Rap Devil and Killshot. MGK took shots at Eminem’s age, and Eminem dissed modern rap, and mumble rap. specifically. Machine Gun Kelly claimed he was standing up for new rappers but certainly lost the battle. Eminem’s flow is legendary for a reason.
The latest Justin Bieber controversy involved his wife Hailey Bieber. Selena Gomez is Bieber’s ex. Fans noticed a video of Selena playing in the background of Justin’s computer. This caused some drama among fans. However, both Justin and Hailey called for fans to “grow up” and “stop reading so much into things”.
Eminem and Bieber had their own controversy recently. Bieber posted on Instagram, throwing serious shade at The Real Slim Shady. Bieber said, “He doesn’t understand modern rap”. Will the Biebs find himself on hip-hop diss track? It wouldn’t be the first time the rapper took a shot at Justin. Em reportedly laughed at the post and said he couldn’t care less what Bieber thought.
Justin Bieber vs Eminem FAQs
What does Eminem think about Justin Bieber?
Eminem wasn’t a fan of Bieber in the past, as noted in his response to Bieber’s Instagram story. He said he was disinterested in Bieber or what he thought. Things might have improved since then. Neither has recently spoken about their relationship.
Did Eminem do a song with Justin Bieber?
Despite the past feud, Em and Bieber have done two songs together in 2021. “Rescue Me’ and “When You Left Me”.
Why does one choose Eminem over Justin Bieber?
Eminem has incredible lyrical talent. He is one of, if not the best rapper and lyricist in Hip Hop. Bieber has his own accolades. He’s transformed from bubble gum pop kid star to a more mature style of music. He has a good voice, but so do many other people who haven’t been discovered yet. Eminem’s skill is the rarer of the two, and the most difficult to accomplish.
Why is Eminem not popular as compared to Justin Bieber?
Eminem isn’t as popular as Justin Bieber because he’s Eminem. In recent years, rap and pop have been neck and neck in popularity. Justin Bieber is more popular on social media, but has sold fewer albums than Em. Most people like Bieber because Pop is something everyone can enjoy, or at least tolerate. Rap, and Eminem in particular, isn’t something everyone will enjoy. His strong personality and opinions combined with controversial lyrics can be off-putting for some people.
Why do people hate Justin Bieber?
Some people hate him because they don’t like his music. Others hate him for some of his actions, like peeing in a restaurant bucket, or claiming that Inuit heritage entitled him to get free gas. Some people hate him because they dislike pop, or the pop industry, in general. As a pop star posterchild, it makes Bieber an easy target.