The Diamond Standard: Which Hip Hop Artists Have Achieved This Rare Feat?
In the music industry, going “diamond” is a rare and prestigious accomplishment. Diamond status is awarded to albums that have sold more than 10 million copies in the United States. In the hip hop world, only a handful of artists have been able to achieve this level of success. So, who are these diamond-selling rappers? Let’s take a look.
Diddy
The first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status was none other than the “King of Rap” himself, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy’s debut album, No Way Out, was released in 1997 and has since sold more than 10 million copies in the US. Not bad for a first album!
Eminem
Next on our list is Eminem. The controversial rapper from Detroit has gone diamond with three of his albums: The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and Curtain Call: The Hits. Combined, these three albums have sold more than 30 million copies in the US. That’s an impressive feat for any artist, let alone a rapper.
Lil Wayne
Another rapper with multiple diamond-selling albums is Lil Wayne. Wayne’s Tha Carter III and Tha Carter IV both went diamond, selling more than 10 million copies each. That makes Lil Wayne one of only two rappers (Eminem being the other) with two diamond-selling albums to their name.
Outkast
Outkast’s fifth studio album, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” was a double album featuring one disc of solo material from each member of the group (André 3000 and Big Boi). The album was released on September 23, 2003, by LaFace Records and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with sales of more than 1 million copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over 11 million copies in the US and won Album of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Tupac
The first hip hop artist to go diamond was none other than the legendary Tupac Shakur. His album All Eyez on Me was released in 1996 and went on to sell over 10 million copies in the United States alone. Tupac achieved this feat by staying true to his roots and delivering hard-hitting rap lyrics that spoke to the experiences of urban youth. He also benefited from being associated with Death Row Records, which was one of the most successful record labels of the time.
Jay-Z
Finally, we have Jay-Z. Jay-Z is one of the best-selling artists of all time, and it’s no surprise that he has a few diamond-selling albums under his belt. To date, Jay-Z has gone diamond with five of his albums: Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, The Blueprint, The Black Album, and American Gangster. That puts him ahead of even Eminem in terms of total diamond-selling albums.
Conclusion:
Achieving diamond status is no easy feat—but some hip hop artists have been able to do it! Diddy, Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z have all gone diamond with at least one of their albums. Combined, these four artists have sold more than 60 million copies of their music in the US. That’s an impressive achievement that is sure to stand the test of time.
