Alicia Keys and Jay-Z reach Diamond status with Empire State of Mind

The 2009 track is the 148th song to achieve diamond status.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys created an iconic anthem for New York City with “Empire State of Mind,” and 15 years later, the song has achieved diamond certification.

On Wednesday, July 24, the Recording Industry Association of America revealed that “Empire State of Mind” has achieved diamond status. This marks Jay-Z's second diamond plaque, following “N—as in Paris” from Watch the Throne, and Alicia Keys' first diamond certification.

The Grammy-winning singer celebrated the news on X, exclaiming,“Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!” accompanied by a string of diamond emojis, and resharing Roc Nation’s tweet about the achievement.

Released in October 2009 as the third single from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 album, “Empire State of Mind” achieved platinum status by December of the same year. The Al Shux-produced track reached 9x-platinum in June 2023 and finally earned diamond certification this week.

Hov and Alicia Keys’ collaboration topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and also led the Rhythmic Airplay, Hot Rap Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Jay-Z re-uploaded the track to his official YouTube channel on his birthday, December 4, 2021, and it has since garnered over 262 million views.

According to Business Insider, “Empire State of Mind” is the 148th song to achieve diamond status, and Jay-Z is the 26th artist to have multiple diamond-certified hits.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys delighted fans by reuniting to perform “Empire State of Mind” in their hometown at the 2024 Tony Awards in June. Keys mentioned, “I had to do something crazy — it’s my hometown,” before Jay-Z joined her on stage for the pre-recorded performance.

Keys is approaching membership in the multiple-diamond-hit club, as her 2007 song "No One" achieved 9x-platinum status on February 14, 2023.