Cardi B has received diamond status for her hit record, “Bodak Yellow.”
On Monday (March 8), Cardi’s breakout single, which earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017, officially became certified diamond by the RIAA. This makes the Bronx, N.Y.-bred artist the first female rapper to have a song go diamond or sell more than 10 million units.
The RIAA tweeted this morning (March 9), “Congratulations to @iamcardib, the first female rapper to achieve a RIAA single award! #BodakYellow @AtlanticRecords.”
Congratulations to @iamcardib, the first female rapper to achieve a RIAA single award! #BodakYellow @AtlanticRecords https://t.co/D4gDxJorkR
Music industry executive Brooklyn Johnny, who has worked with Cardi for many years, shared the news of her accomplishment via social media last night.
“ Bodak Yellow is certified Diamond #WAP 5x #CardiB #BodakYellow,” he captioned the video of Cardi receiving the plaque for her song. In the video, Bardi, who appears to be in disbelief, asks, “It’s diamond, for real? Certified by the RIAA? For real?”
In the same IG video, Cardi B receives a plaque for “WAP,” her now-five times platinum 2020 summer hit record with Megan Thee Stallion. The collaborative track debuted at No. 1 last August, becoming Cardi’s fourth Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 charting record. The song was also the first female rap collaboration to debut at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cardi first dropped “Bodak Yellow” in June of 2017. In September of that same year, the record went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which was a historical moment as well. “Bodak Yellow” was the first song by a solo woman rapper to land at No. 1 in 19 years. Before this, Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” landed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1998. Cardi also became the fifth woman rhymer to top the chart after the Fugees frontwoman and other female rappers such as Lil’ Kim (“Lady Marmalade” in 2001), Shawnna (“Stand Up”) in 2003, and Iggy Azalea (“Fancy” in 2014).
Just last month, Lauryn Hill’s debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was officially certified diamond, making Hill the first female rapper with a 10-times platinum-certified album. L Boogie dropped the LP back in 1998.
