Of the 129 albums that can boast at least a Diamond certification in the 71-year history of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), only six of them were delivered by solo Black male vocalists – Lionel Richie‘s ‘Can’t Slow Down,’ Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs in the Key of Life,’ Usher‘s ‘Confessions,’ and King of Pop Michael Jackson‘s ‘Bad’ and ‘Thriller.’
Play Hip-Hopon Amazon Music Unlimited (ad)
And while the latter made history in 2022 for becoming the first singer overall in history to own multiple singles and albums certified as high, he also became the only male performer of color to own one Diamond plaque of each project type.
That changed Friday (February 9) thanks to a slew of certification upgrades afforded to the ‘Confessions‘ singer’s most popular titles.
Ahead of the Super Bowl halftime show he’s already promised will be a nod to Jackson’s legacy on February 11, Ush (born Usher Raymond) has joined his idol in a unique RIAA club.
Taking to press, the RIAA announced several updates to the certification statuses of some of Raymond’s biggest hits. See the full list below.
14x Platinum
Confessions (Album)
13x Platinum
Yeah (Single)
8x Platinum
DJ Got Us Falling in Love (Single)
5x Platinum
8701 (Album)
U Got It Bad (Single)
Love in This Club Part I (Single)
4x Platinum
Burn (Single)
I Don’t Mind (Single)
3x Platinum
Scream (Single)
Confessions Part II (Single)
Raymond v. Raymond (Album)
2x Platinum
No Limit (Single)
U Remind Me (Single)
Hey Daddy (Single)
Here I Stand (Album)
1x Platinum
Caught Up (Single)
Superstar (Single)
Lemme See (Single)
Trading Places (Single)
Good Kisser (Single)
U Don’t Have to Call (Single)
Love in This Club Part II (Single)
There Goes My Baby (Single)
Lil Freak (Single)
Looking 4 Myself (Album)
Moving Mountains (Single)
Gold
Papers (Single)
Hard II Love (Album)
Hot Tottie (Single)
For context, Diamond denotes sales equivalence of 10 million in the United States while Platinum and Gold represent 1 million and 500,000 respectively.
With the ascension of ‘Yeah’ to Diamond status, the 45-year-old has joined an elite crew of solo hitmakers who can boast having at least one album and one single certified at that level.
As of time reported the list includes Eminem (3 Diamond albums, 3 Diamond singles), Whitney Houston (3 Diamond albums, 1 Diamond single), Michael Jackson (2 Diamond albums, 2 Diamond singles), Mariah Carey (2 Diamond albums, 1 Diamond single), Elton John (1 Diamond single, 1 Diamond album), and Taylor Swift (1 Diamond album, 1 Diamond single).
Together, the shiny new plaques push Usher’s career digital single sales to 81.5 million – making him one of the best-selling acts of all time.
Among male vocalists, the only performers to have sold as many or more digital songs are Justin Bieber (122.5 million), The Weeknd (113 million), Morgan Wallen (103.5 million), Ed Sheeran (95 million), Chris Brown (94.5 million), Bruno Mars (91.5 million), Luke Combs (90.5 million), and Luke Bryan (81.5 million).
News
🚨 Christie Sides Just Told The SHOCKING Truth About Indiana Losing To The Chicago Sky ‼️
🚨 Christie Sides Just Told The SHOCKING Truth About Indiana Losing To The Chicago Sky ‼️ Play video: . . . Indiana Fever Coach Christie Sides is…
‘I’M A DOG!’ 😤 – Angel Reese on career-high night in win vs. Caitlin Clark & Fever 🔥
‘I’M A DOG!’ 😤 – Angel Reese on career-high night in win vs. Caitlin Clark & Fever 🔥 Play video: . . . Angel Reese leads…
Angel Reese REFLECTS on NaLyssa Smith’s TOO SHORT celly in the Sky’s VICTORY over the Fever
Angel Reese REFLECTS on NaLyssa Smith’s TOO SHORT celly in the Sky’s VICTORY over the Fever Play video: . . . Angel Reese calls out NaLyssa…
Angel Reese’s perfect line after outdueling Caitlin Clark in dramatic 88-87 win
Angel Reese’s perfect line after outdueling Caitlin Clark in dramatic 88-87 win Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark was an epic rivalry in college basketball. It seems to…
Aces guard Kate Martin shares her support for Caitlin Clark before Sunday’s match on facing Angel Reese
Aces guard Kate Martin shares her support for Caitlin Clark before Sunday’s match on facing Angel Reese Play video: . . . Aces rookie Kate Martin prepares…
Kate Martin describes what it was like playing against Ex Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark
Kate Martin describes what it was like playing against Ex Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark Play video: . . . Kate Martin Used One Word to Describe…
End of content
No more pages to load