J. Cole is sitting on top of the musical world with this news. The Fayetteville native not only has one platinum album under his belt, but now he can add his previous two projects to that trophy cabinet.
His debut effort, Cole World: The Sideline Story and his sophomore triumph Born Sinner have been certified platinum, the RIAA reports. This achievement follows that of his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive which surpassed the millionth mark upon its release in December 2014.
US certifications (@RIAA): Born Sinner & Cole World: The Sideline Story Platinum (1,000,000) by @JColeNC.
— Chart News (@chartnews) February 11, 2016
In additional platinum news, Adele’s single “Hello” has also gone 5 times platinum in Australia, and Nicki Minaj’s third studio album The Pinkprint has surpassed the double platinum mark.
Australian certifications (@ARIA_Official): @Adele, Hello 5x Platinum (350,000).
— Chart News (@chartnews) February 13, 2016
US certifications (@RIAA): @NICKIMINAJ, The Pinkprint 2x Platinum (2,000,000).
— Chart News (@chartnews) February 11, 2016
Earlier this month, the RIAA announced a new rule in which they’ll count streams as album sales, a stamp that Rihanna’s ANTI project was able to be the first of many to benefit from. Other artists also include The Weeknd for Beauty Behind The Madness, Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated To Pimp A Butterfly, and Big Sean’s critically-acclaimed Dark Sky Paradise.