EMINEM is BACK!

Eminem's "Not Afraid" has been the talk of blogs, message boards and social-media networks on Thursday (April 29), as the rapper detoured from his normal route of celebrity-bashing numbers and instead delivered an honest take on his life and career, even calling last year's Relapse "ehh."

The rapper grabs the number one spot in the Hot 100 charts with his new single “Not Afraid” and leads the pack with a whopping 380,000 digital downloads of his new single, making him a shoo-in at number one for the Digital Songs chart this week as well. Eminem’s numbers represent the biggest sales week for a digital track for 2010 so far.

“Not Afraid” is the lead single from the rapper’s new album titled "Recovery," which is set for release on June 22. This latest Eminem single is his third chart topper, his previous ones being “Lose Yourself” in 2002-03 and “Crack A Bottle” with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent in February of 2009. “Not Afraid” is the first tune to debut at number one at the Billboard Hot 100 since October of 2009, when Britney Spears’ “3” did the same.

This is only the 16th time that a new single debuts directly at number one in the chart’s nearly 52-year history. Other achievers include Britney Spears, Michael Jackson with “You Are Not Alone,” “Fantasy” and  “Honey”  by Mariah Carey, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston, “One Sweet Day” by Boyz II Men with Mariah Carey, “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy& Faith Evans, “Candle in the Wind/The Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill, and American Idol’s  “This is the Night” by Clay Aiken, “I Believe” by Fantasia, “Inside Your Heaven” by Carrie Underwood, and “Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks.

The Detroit rapper's last album, Relapse, was among 2009's highest sellers, but fans complained that it didn't show off the MC's skills. The album was Eminem's first in five years, after suffering from drug dependency and the loss of his close friend, D12 rapper Proof. In interviews, Em noted that the album helped him work his way through writer's block, and he returned to his Slim Shady persona for aid.

Rbrt_vndrvn wrote on MTVNews.com that the criticism seems to have motivated Eminem on "Not Afraid." "Well, it's official: Eminem has to work with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to bring out his potential," he said. "From now on, I declare Eminem the underdog, and we will always get great music!"

Since Relapse, Eminem stayed visible by contributing to Drake's "Forever," Lil Wayne's "Drop the World" and B.o.B's "Airplanes (Part II)" in preparation for his upcoming Recovery, due in June.

That output left fans excited, and Twitter member Tony Markovich gave Em two virtual thumbs up. "THAT is the Eminem I like hearing," he tweeted. "Forever, Drop the World, Airplanes, Despicable, and now this!? I'd say he's back."

Some Slim Shady fans weren't happy with Eminem dismissing Relapse, which actually took home some awards-show hardware. "Great leadoff song," Tom wrote on MTV.com "Really goes well with the album title. ... I'm surprised he called Relapse 'ehh.' Relapse wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. The only downside to it was it was a bit repetitive, but he spit fire on every track. Em's 'ehh' album still wins a Grammy for Best Rap Album."

Here's a quick look at the biggest songs and albums in the US this week:

Billboard Hot 100

(1) “Not Afraid” - Eminem
(2) “OMG” – Usher feat. will.i.am
(3) “Nothing On You” – B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars
(4) “Break Your Heart” – Taio Cruz
(5) "Airplanes” – B.o.B. feat. Eminem and Hayley Williams of Paramore
(6) “Rude Boy” – Rihanna
(7) “Hey, Soul Sister” – Train
(8) “Your Love Is My Drug” – Ke$ha
(9) “My First Kiss” – 3OH!3 featuring Ke$ha
(10) “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum