On July 12, RIAA updated its certifications for multiple Jay-Z albums. Included in this was his 11th studio album Blueprint 3, released in 2009, which has now reached 2x platinum certification. This marks Jay-Z’s 10th solo album to achieve multi-platinum status, the most of any hip-hop artist ever. Eminem is currently the closest to him with eight.
Additionally, this month’s update makes Jay-Z the only Black male artist to accomplish this, and the second Black person overall behind Mariah Carey. To total it all up, Hov’s studio albums that have gone multi-platinum are Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998), Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999), The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000), The Blueprint (2001), The Blueprint2: The Gift & the Curse (2002), The Black Album (2003), Kingdom Come (2006), The Blueprint 3 (2009), Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013), and 4:44 (2017).
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This news arrived just days before Jay-Z’s honorary exhibit launched at the Brooklyn Public Library, dubbed “The Book of HOV.” Including memorabilia from throughout Jay-Z’s illustrious career, the opening ceremony for “The Book of HOV” saw many of the rap legend’s best friends and peers in attendance, such as Beyoncé, Lil Uzi Vert, Regina Hall, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Yo Gotti, Tinashe, A$AP Ferg, Meek Mill, Babyface, Miguel, and more.
“Hov is the GOAT for a lot of reasons,” DJ Khaled said at the ceremony. “It would take many books to write the reason why, but for me, it’s to let you know that it’s possible. When I say possible, anything he puts his mind to he makes it happen and takes it to the higher heights.”
Along with colleagues like Khaled having nice words to say about Hov, the library’s CEO Linda Johnson also offered a statement of appreciation for the emcee to Billboard.
“Brooklyn Public Library, including the Center for Brooklyn History, is home to the most expansive collection of Brooklyn history in the world, and Jay-Z is an important part of the borough’s story,” she said. “We are proud to celebrate his mastery of music, poetry, the written word, and the oral tradition, and we hope the exhibit will inspire visitors to bet on themselves and pursue their own dreams, musical or otherwise.”
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation