Eminem won Top Billboard 200 Album at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards with Recovery.
Released in June 2010, Recovery became a major commercial comeback for Eminem. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 741,000 first-week copies in the United States and remained at the top for multiple weeks. Its singles included “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie,” featuring Rihanna.
At the 2011 ceremony, Recovery beat albums including Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0, Susan Boyle’s The Gift, Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now, and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now. Eminem also won several other honors that night, including Top Artist and Top Male Artist.
A common mix-up is confusing the album award with Top Billboard 200 Artist, which went to Taylor Swift in 2011. The album category recognizes the year’s leading album, while the artist category evaluates an act’s broader chart performance.