It hasn’t even been a full 7 days since JAY-Z released his 13th studio album, 4:44, and already the rapper has achieved a milestone others could only dream of. After his project debuted on Friday night (June 30), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) confirms that it is officially certified platinum.
This latest achievement makes him the most decorated hip-hop artist of RIAA’s Gold and Platinum Program. Additionally, Hov is the only hip-hop artist with more than 10 RIAA platinum albums and four, platinum collaborated albums, which include Watch the Throne with Kanye West and The Best of Both Worlds with R. Kelly.
While it is a colossal victory for the Brooklyn rapper, his 2017 album success could be matched by Kendrick Lamar, who landed a platinum certification for DAMN. within a week of its April release.
What makes this even more impressive for JAY-Z is the fact that 4:44 is only currently available to Tidal and Sprint customers. With the album’s physical copies and worldwide availability to other streaming services soon approaching, its likely to boost the 10-track album’s performance tremendously.
See JAY-Z and RIAA’s CEO Cary Sherman with his platinum plaque above.
UPDATE: Roc Nation informed Billboard “that the certification reflects 1 million downloads, and no streams were applied towards the certification.” It is also reported that “a sale can count towards a certification if purchased directly by the customer, or a business” offering it to its customers.