Alicia Keys is officially a diamond-certified artiste per the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
With over 10 million copies sold since its 2009 debut, her collaboration with Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind,” achieved a Diamond certification.
Alicia tweeted, “Empire is diamond,” in celebration as Roc Nation officially announced the news.
This is Jay-Z’s third Diamond single with his first being the 2023 collaboration with Kanye West on “N***as In Paris,” taken from their joint 2011 album, Watch The Throne. Rihanna’s song “Umbrella” gave him his second certification.
The song had over one billion plays just last month, and the two got back together to sing it at the 2024 Tony Awards.
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“One Dream. One song. One billion streams. I’m grateful. We cherish you,” Alicia hinted ahead of the unexpected performance, “What’s next…?”
Speaking of the pride in New York City that the song radiates and the initial hesitations the release had, “When we first finished ‘Empire,’ we all wondered if it would be too ‘New York,'”. We questioned whether or not everyone would understand it. We had no idea that everyone would get it, as the message isn’t only about New York; rather, it’s about the hope that the city offers—the possibilities and the opportunity to pursue your goals regardless of your background or identity.”
In 2009, “Empire State of Mind” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, and it has since grown to become one of the greatest songs in each artiste’s discography.
During her Drink Champs visit in 2021, Keys acknowledged that the collaboration almost didn’t happen.
“Jay-Z had the record and was asking me to record it. Moreover, the individuals who represented me failed to inform me about the record for whatever reason. I don’t know why. Could you imagine if ‘Empire’ never got to me? We all can imagine it now because there wouldn’t have been a song that would go on to become the anthem for the City of Light.”
