Earlier this week (October 24), Drake turned 37 years old. After hosting a party in Miami to celebrate, which saw Breaking Bad star actors Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston serve as bartenders, the Toronto rapper received a special gift from the Recording Industry Association of America, better known as RIAA.
On Friday (October 27), RIAA added a bunch of new platinum and gold certifications for Drake songs and albums, reflecting increases in sales and streaming numbers. With these updates, Drake has now become the first artist in RIAA history to surpass 200 million certified sales units.
When this became official, the president of Drake’s OVO Sound imprint Mr. Morgan texted Drake to notify him and congratulate him. Sharing a now-expired screenshot on his Instagram story of the messages from his colleague, Drake reveals which songs and albums had their certifications upgraded.
“Tried to have this go all live for you yesterday, but we certified a lot of certifications for your Bday,” Morgan wrote. “Drake now has 223M RIAA Digital Certified Song Units as a lead artist. First artist to cross 200M in RIAA history. You’ll prob start seeing posted & online etc… but some highlights: Take Care 8x [platinum]. [Nothing Was The Same] 6X. [Certified Lover Boy] 3X. Her Loss 2X. ‘Hold On [We’re Going Home]’ 9X. ‘Started [From The Bottom]’ 8X. ‘[The] Motto’ 8X. ‘Headlines’ 8X. ‘Take Care’ (single) 7X. ‘Money in [the] Grave’ 6X. ‘Knife Talk’ 5X.”
This new accomplishment comes less than two weeks after Drake tied Michael Jackson for most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 for any male solo artist. Doing so with “First Person Shooter,” a song featuring J. Cole off his new album For All The Dogs, Drake has thoroughly basked in his own greatness as of late.
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When posting about his aforementioned Florida birthday party, the decorated MC made sure to pay his respects to Jackson, while also acknowledging how he is a “familiar voice” in the lives of millions around the world.
“Pinkman, Walter White, and Walter Light…RIP to Mike but when it comes to records we breaking bad for sure,” he wrote in an Instagram caption. “I’ll be back with more fuckery and responses to all your love. I’m getting fried tonight though…love you all dearly thank you for awarding me this honour to be a familiar voice in your lives.”
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
