Rapper earns the pair for hit songs, “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie.”
His name is Eminem and he’s now the first artist to receive two RIAA Digital Single Diamond Awards, marking sales and streams of more than 10 million.
Slim Shady picked up the honor for “Not Afraid,” a track from his 2010 album Recovery, to go along with the 11x multi-platinum single “Love the Way You Lie” (featuring Rihanna), from the same release, which has sold 4.5 milion copies in the U.S. and more than 10 million worldwide.
RIAA chairman/ceo Cary Sherman marked the milestone: “We are delighted to recognize Eminem as the first artist to earn two RIAA Digital Diamond Awards. This singular achievement – earning a Diamond Award on two separate digital songs – is unparalleled, and we congratulate him on forever etching a mark in Gold & Platinum Program history.”
In addition to two Diamond song honors, Eminem also has two 10x multi-Platinum Diamond certified albums: 2000’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” and 2002’s “The Eminem Show,” both on Aftermath/Interscope. His career RIAA album awards represent more than 37 million sold in the U.S., placing him at No. 44 on the all-time RIAA list of “Top Selling Artists,” just behind Bob Dylan and ahead of Backstreet Boys, while his digital single certifications now surpass the 31 million mark, counting downloads and streams and spanning 10 separate songs, which places him No. 6 on the all-time list, behind Kanye West (31.5m) and ahead of Flo Rida (29.5m). His most recent album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” has sold 2.1 million according to Nielsen SoundScan since its November, 2013, release.
Eminem kicks off The Monster Tour with Rihanna this summer at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, August 7 and 8. The jaunt will then continue to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, August 16 and 17 and close the North American portion in his hometown Detroit’s Comerica Park August 22 and 23, before ending up in London’s Wembley Stadium July 11 and 12.
Officially launched in 1958, the RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Program expanded in 1999 to include a Diamond Award honoring U.S. sales of 10 million or more copies of an album or single. The RIAA established its Digital Single Award in 2004 in recognition of the significant sales of emerging digital music formats. Most recently, in 2013, the RIAA added music streams to its Digital Single Award.
The list of more than 110 Diamond titles includes albums and songs by The Beatles, Justin Bieber, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, The Eagles, Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Gaga, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Santana, Bruce Springsteen and Usher.
