Jay-Z & Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind’ is now certified diamond.
Jay-Z has racked up his third diamond plaque, this time achieving the feat with his Alicia Keys collaboration “Empire State of Mind.”
Fifteen years later, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys New York City anthem “Empire State of Mind,” reached the equivalent of 10 million sales in the U.S.
The Recording Industry Association of America announced on Wednesday (July 24) that “Empire State of Mind” had gone diamond. It’s Jay’s second diamond plaque following Watch the Throne‘s “N—as in Paris” and Keys’ first entry into the diamond club.
This is Alicia Keys first diamond plaque, and Hov’s third, following receiving ones last year for his Kanye West collaboration “N-ggas In Paris” and the Rihanna duet “Umbrella.”
“N-ggas In Paris” had been stuck on 9x-platinum since May 2022 but crossed over the elusive diamond mark in 2023, more than a decade after its initial 2011 release.
The song appears on Hov’s 2009 album, The Blueprint 3, and more recently, on the Tony-nominated musical, Hell’s Kitchen, which is loosely based on Keys’ childhood in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
“We at the Tony Awards tonight,” Keys said at the award show, per Rolling Stone. “Had to do something crazy. It’s my hometown.” She launched into “Empire State of Mind," and, at one point, Jay appeared on a large screen, and the two performed together.
The Grammy-winning singer reacted to the news. “Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!” with a series of diamond emojis on X, where she quoted on Roc Nation’s tweet about the accomplishment.
“Empire State of Mind” sat at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks following its arrival, and took home two Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
The song appears on the Hell’s Kitchen soundtrack, which was nominated for 13 awards at the Tonys this year. The musical ultimately won two awards.
Revisit Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance below.
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