Another day, another Rihanna record.
Proving that her reign doesn’t let up even 8 years after the release of her last studio album, ‘Anti,’ Rih started the week with news her 2012 Hot 100 chart-topper, ‘Diamonds,’ was shining bright with a new Diamond plaque from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The certification upgrade not only came as an impressive move but also a historic one.
Details inside.
Taking to press on Monday (April 22), the RIAA revealed ‘Diamonds’ had met its threshold for Diamond certification – making it the 132nd song in the organization’s 71-year history to earn such status.
For context, “Diamond” denotes sales equivalence of 10 million in the United States.
The report comes almost a year to the date she found out her 2011 chart-topper, ‘We Found Love,’ had become the first song of her career to reach the sales standard.
With 2 Diamond singles to her credit, Rihanna has become the first Black female singer to own multiple plaques for songs certified as high. Among all Black women, she’s tied with Cardi B (2) and leads a list that includes Whitney Houston (1), Mariah Carey (1), and Nicki Minaj (1).
Houston remains the most Diamond-certified Black female act in music history boasting 3 Diamond albums and 1 Diamond song.
It’s noteworthy that the RIAA only credits certifications to lead acts, so Rih’s feature on Eminem‘s Diamond-certified hit ‘Love the Way You Lie’ does not apply to her career count.
Already the best-selling female act in the history of digital music, the Barbadian diva’s cumulative sales now towers at 169.5 million in the U.S. Among all artists, only Drake (with 244 million) has sold more.