Eminem birthday countdown: Marshall Mathers' year in review before he turns 44

As Marshall Mathers turns 44 on Oct. 17, fans are wondering if his birthday will coincide Eminem’s new album release. The overly private award-winning rapper has kept fans in the dark for too long.

While Slim Shady remains mum about his career plans, here are some of the milestones and flops of Eminem’s career in the past year.

YAYs!

1. Albums: At 43, Eminem has composed songs and collaborated with artists for 43 albums, according to Billboard. While Eminem has released eight studio albums as a solo artist since 1996, he remains a part of Detroit-based rap group The Dirty Dozen or D12 as Slim Shady. D12 has so far released two studio albums and another is forthcoming. (Read: Eminem collaborates in new D12 album, says Swifty Mcvay)

Eminem’s last studio album, “The Marshal Mathers LP,” was released in 2013 but the rapper appeared in various albums in collaboration with countless artists across music genres. Mathers recently appeared on the chart-topping soundtrack of the 2016 film “Suicide Squad” with his “Without Me” and on Skylar Grey’s “Natural Causes” album released on Sep. 23, 2016, with “Kill for You.” (Read: Eminem et al. propel ‘Suicide Squad’ album at No. 1 on Billboard 200, AU, NZ charts)

2. Songs: Eminem has been part of over 131 songs so far, based on Billboard’s official count. While a new album is in the works, Mathers kept his fans happy as he collaborated with other artists. Eminem’s latest collaborations include “Kings Never Die (Feat. Gwen Stefani)” and “Phenomenal,” released under “Southpaw” movie soundtrack on July 10, 2015; Yelawolf’s “Best Friend,” released under “Love Story” album released on April 14, 2015.

3. Fans: Eminem’s influence cuts across society and reaches globally. The most popular fans of Eminem include no less than US President Barack Obama, who was spotted listening to Eminem’s 2002 Grammy Award-winning hit single “Lose Yourself.” (Read: Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ preps Obama for DNC speech)

Sports personalities like US Olympian Michael Phelps and Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo turn to the “Love the Way You Lie” rapper for inspiration. (Read: Eminem warns Michael Phelps, ‘wait until you see me swim’)

NAYs!

1. Net Worth Update: Eminem dropped out of the Forbes magazine’s latest Celebrity 100 list after earning US$11 million (AU$14 million) pretax from June 2015 to June 2016. He also fell from the Top 10 list of highest-paid hip-hop acts due to his dwindling income. (Read: Eminem drops out of Forbes' top 10 rappers of 2016, ranks 9th on hip hop's cash kings of the decade)

Mathers debuted on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2011 when he ranked 71st. He slid to the 82nd rank in 2015 after making US$31 million (AU$40.3 million) from June 2014 to June 2015.

2. Guinness World Record: Eminem’s 2013 song “Rap God” lost the world record for having the most words in a hit single to the 2015 song “Animal” of UK rapper Harry Shotta. (Read: Eminem loses Guinness World title to UK rapper Harry Shotta

WATCH: Real Madrid's Cristian Ronaldo turns to Eminem for motivation