On Oct. 6, Def Jam announced that Kanye West‘s hit-single “Stronger” has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after surpassing 10 million sales in the U.S., 14 years after its release. The certification adds the first diamond plaque to Kanye’s illustrious career.
“Stronger” served as the second single off Kanye’s 2007 album, Graduation, and features a sample of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” The genre-blending tune was a labor of love for Kanye West and his team as the track was mixed over 75 times and had more than 10 engineers working on perfecting the record — until Timbaland came in at the last minute to make the “drums pop.”
Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ is now @RIAA certified DIAMOND 💎 ! Congratulations to Yeezy and the entire team. pic.twitter.com/ISgiWiF52b
— Def Jam Recordings (@defjam) October 6, 2021
“Stronger” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 and break up Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat” run at No. 1. The track also earned Kanye West a Grammy Award win in the Best Rap Solo Performance category in 2008, while Graduation took home Best Rap Album. A few other hits from Kanye’s illustrious discography could soon be joining the diamond club, including “Gold Digger” (8x Platinum), “N*ggas In Paris” (8x Platinum) and “Heartless” (7x Platinum).