It’s been over 10 years since Nicki Minaj launched ‘Starships,’ the lead single from her sophomore album ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,’ to the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, but that hasn’t stopped music lovers from giving the RedOne-produced bop consistent spins on digital platforms.
So much so, the tune, already ranking as one of her most successful hits of all time, has now been pushed to being her second highest-certified number at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Taking to press Tuesday (September 19), the RIAA announced multiple Minaj titles had their statuses upgraded. See the full list below.
9x Platinum (for sales equivalence of 9 million in the U.S.)
- ‘Starships’ (Single)
3x Platinum
- ‘Beez in the Trap‘ (Single)
2x Platinum
- ‘Va Va Voom‘ (Single)
Thanks to the 9x Platinum stat attached to ‘Starships,’ the song surpasses the Jessie J and Ariana Grande-led ‘Bang Bang‘ to become the Harajuku Barbie’s second highest-certified hit ever. In fact, only the Diamond-certified ‘Super Bass‘ ranks higher on her personal list.
With just one more certification upgrade, ‘Starships’ will fly to becoming the 40-year-old’s second Diamond-certified single – a feat that would put her in very exclusive company in the RIAA’s history books.
Together, ‘Starships,’ ‘Beez,’ and ‘Va Va Voom’ zoom Nicki’s cumulative single sales in the United States to 45.5 million, making her one of the most successful female artists of all time (among all genres).
The updates come just two months before the rapstress lifts the lid on her long-awaited fifth studio album, ‘Pink Friday 2.’