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

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.4K Views
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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 music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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