Jay-Z and Alicia Keys gave New York City an official anthem with “Empire State of Mind,” and 15 years later, their ode to the Big Apple is certified diamond.
The Recording Industry Association of America announced on Wednesday (July 24) that “Empire State of Mind” had gone diamond. It’s Jay’s second diamond plaque following Watch the Throne‘s “N—as in Paris” and Keys’ first entry into the diamond club.
“Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!” the Grammy-winning singer exclaimed with a series of diamond emojis on X, where she reshared Roc Nation’s tweet about the accomplishment.
“Empire State of Mind” was released in October 2009 as the third single from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 album. The Al Shux-produced track went platinum two months later in December. It earned 9x-platinum status in June 2023, and pushed across the diamond-studded finish line this week.
Hov and Alicia Keys’ collaboration reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks while also topping the Rhythmic Airplay, Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
Jay-Z re-uploaded the track to his official YouTube page on his Dec. 4 birthday in 2021, and it has since earned more than 262 million views.
Per Business Insider, “Empire State of Mind” is the 148th song to reach diamond status, and Jigga is the 26th artist to notch multiple diamond hits.
Jay-Z and Keys actually surprised fans by reuniting to perform “Empire State of Mind” in their hometown at the 2024 Tony Awards in June. “I had to do something crazy — it’s my hometown,” Keys said before Hov invaded the stage for the pre-taped performance.
Keys is inching closer to joining Jay in the multiple-diamond-hit club, as her 2007 track “No One” reached 9x-platinum status on Valentine’s Day 2023.
