Alicia Keys Secures First Diamond-Certified Single With Jay-Z Collab “Empire State Of Mind”

BYCaroline Fisher988 Views
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2009 MTV Video Music Awards - Show
onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City.
Over a decade after its release, "Empire State Of Mind" continues to be a success.

It's no secret that Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' 2009 collab "Empire State Of Mind" is one of the most iconic NYC anthems of all time. Despite being released over a decade ago, it continues to find success and recently reached yet another impressive milestone. The track has officially been diamond-certified by the RIAA, meaning it's moved more than a whopping 10 million units.

The feat is especially exciting for Keys, as this is her first-ever diamond-certified single. She took to X today to celebrate, retweeting various posts about the accomplishment. "Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!" she also wrote, seeming thrilled about her latest achievement.

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys' "Empire State Of Mind" Is Now Diamond-Certified

As for Jay-Z, the track is now one of three of his to reach diamond status, joining hits like "N****s In Paris" with Kanye West and "Umbrella" with Rihanna. He's yet to comment on his latest brag-worthy feat, though Roc Nation's official X account shared a snippet of the iconic song today to celebrate. After the song's release, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, was nominated for three Grammy awards, and more. Needless to say, the two artists work well together, and could even have another collaboration coming soon.

Last month, Keys hopped on X to thank fans for their support over the years, sharing a clip of herself standing next to Jay-Z. "1 Dream, 1 Song, 1 Billion streams [prayer hands emojis]," she captioned it. "Thank you! We love you. What’s next…. [eyes emoji] [shushing emoji]." This sparked speculation that they could have another collab on the way, though this is still unconfirmed. What do you think of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song "Empire State Of Mind" reaching Diamond status? Are you surprised or not? What about it becoming Keys' first-ever Diamond-certified single? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is a News Writer at HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started at HNHH this year, and has since spent her time writing about all that is newsworthy in the world of hip-hop. With a drive for hunting down the hottest stories, she enjoys documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also has an appreciation for hip-hop and seeks to cover the most important trends and shifts. She has a Bachelor of Arts which she received at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Having graduated in 2022, she majored in English with a concentration in Media, Rhetoric and Cultural Studies. Specializing all things music, pop culture and entertainment, some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing about music she’s also a fan of attending shows, watching the latest movies, staying up-to-date with current events, photography, and poetry.
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