Rihanna Celebrates New Record-Breaking Diamond Certifications For "Umbrella" & More

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.4K Views
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FENTY x PUMA Creeper Phatty Earth Tone Launch Party - Arrivals
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Rihanna attends the FENTY x PUMA Creeper Phatty Earth Tone Launch Party at Tobacco Dock on April 17, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/WireImage/Getty Images)
Per the RIAA's website, "Umbrella," "Work," "Stay," and "Needed Me" have propelled Rihanna to make history this week.

Rihanna was a record-breaker and history-maker long before today, but her latest piece of proof in that lineage is a pretty special one. Moreover, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) bestowed four new Diamond plaques on her songs with over ten million units sold. These are for "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z, "Work" featuring Drake, "Needed Me," and "Stay" with Mikky Ekko, as they announced as of Friday (May 31) on their website. "Diamonds" had gone Diamond back in April, and with these new 2024 certifications plus the Eminem-assisted "Love The Way You Lie" and the Calvin Harris collab "We Found Love," RiRi is now the female artist with the most Diamond singles in history.

"ain’t no back n forth," Rihanna tweeted with a graphic from Roc Nation congratulating her on this massive achievement. Surely she will have some other ways to celebrate this milestone, such as maybe another date night with A$AP Rocky or just some family time with their kids. Either way, the Barbadian superstar has had a killer 2024 so far even without the release of her long-awaited ninth studio album... so far. Maybe hope is just naiveté at this point, but it's the only thing keeping us going.

Rihanna Reacts To Her New Diamond Plaques

Furthermore, there have been recent teases that the project will come out soon, but with no real confirmation or hard evidence, we can only wait and be patient. However, this new RIAA record does speak to just how much longevity and staying power Rihanna was able to infuse into these particular hits. It's not an uncommon trait in the catalog, but for these massive songs in particular, it feels like they went Diamond in our hearts long ago. We'll see what the record looks like by the time she's officially bowed out, and how it continues to evolve as her career etches itself into the history books.

Meanwhile, there are obviously some pregnancy rumors to either dispel or leave simmering on low for now, as has been usual for Rihanna in the past few years. If nothing else, people are just excited to hear anything they can get from the pop icon right now. With no album in sight but a wholesome family dynamic and business operation to enjoy, we'll take what we can get. And throughout it all, we'll still be bumping these hits.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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