As we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop music, find out which rap artists lead the way in earning those 10x Platinum certifications from the RIAA, better known as Diamond.
On Aug. 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc busted out two turntables and a microphone at a neighborhood party in the South Bronx on a day that came to be recognized with increasing fervor as the birth of hip-hop. Your own mileage may vary, but 50 years later, it continues to be a milestone moment not as much for the sonic genre itself, but for the formulation of its culture — one that now stretches worldwide.
That didn’t happen overnight, of course. It took decades for rap music to become a mainstream commercial product that could stack up to its pop, rock, and country peers with equal or greater formidability. These days, however, the hip-hop industry is a behemoth, and we have the RIAA Platinum (one million units shipped) certifications to prove it.
Including those who have reached the super-elite 10x Platinum Pantheon we know as Diamond status.
So, that got us thinking: Who has the most RIAA Diamond albums and singles across the entire history of rap music? From Slim Shady and Drizzy to Kanye and Cardi, let’s check out the all-time honor roll featuring data straight from the certifiers themselves.
Diamond Rap Albums & Singles: The All-time Leaderboard
Includes all artists with at least two combined 10x Platinum albums and singles as of October 2023. List includes singles on which the performer is featured.
| ARTIST | ALBUMS | SINGLES | TOTAL |
| 1. Post Malone | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 2. Eminem | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 3. Drake | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 4. Cardi B | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| t-5. 2Pac | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| t-5. Kanye West | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| t-5. Swae Lee | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| t-5. XXXTentacion | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| t-5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Additional Diamond Hip-hop Facts
- Only three hip-hop artists besides Eminem have a Diamond-certified album: Outkast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below), Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), The Notorious BIG (Life After Death), and Beastie Boys (License to Ill).
- Selected artists with one Diamond single as a main artist: Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Waka Flocka Flame, French Montana, Juice WRLD, Kid Cudi, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby & Gunna, Future, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Travis Scott, Fetty Wap, Wiz Khalifa
Highest Platinum Certifications
Includes singles and albums with 11x Platinum certifications or higher from the RIAA as of October 2023.
| ARTIST | PROJECT | TYPE | CERT. |
| 1. Swae Lee & Post Malone | “Sunflower” | Single | 18x |
| 2. Lil Nas X f/ Billy Ray Cyrus | “Old Town Road” | Single | 17x |
| 3. Drake | “God’s Plan” | Single | 15x |
| 4. Post Malone f/ Quavo | “Congratulations” | Single | 14x |
| t-5. Outkast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below* | Album | 13x |
| t-5. Eminem | “Lose Yourself” | Single | 13x |
| t-5. Eminem f/ Rihanna | “Love the Way You Lie” | Single | 13x |
| 8. Eminem | The Eminem Show | Album | 12x |
| t-9. Eminem | “Not Afraid” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. The Notorious BIG | Life After Death | Album | 11x |
| t-9. Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | Album | 11x |
| t-9. Wiz Khalifa f/ Charlie Puth | “See You Again” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin | “I Like It” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. Future f/ Drake | “Life is Good” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. Cardi B | “Bodak Yellow” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. Lil Uzi Vert | “XO Tour Llif3” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. Juice WRLD | “Lucid Dreams” | Single | 11x |
| t-9. French Montana f/ Swae Lee | “Unforgettable” | Single | 11x |
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