Cardi B Becomes 1st Female Rapper With Multiple Diamond Songs: ‘I’m Forever Grateful’
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Cardi B continues to write herself into mainstream rap’s history books just a week after earning another Grammy Award nomination.
On Monday (November 29), Cardi’s 2018 collaboration with Maroon 5, “Girls Like You,” surpassed 10 million sales in the United States, making it eligible for diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In doing so, Cardi has become the first female rapper in history with multiple diamond hits.
US Certifications (@RIAA): @maroon5 Feat. @iamcardib, Girls Like You Diamond (10,000,000).
— chart data (@chartdata) November 30, 2021
.@iamcardib becomes the first female rapper to earn two @RIAA Diamond singles.
— chart data (@chartdata) November 30, 2021
The reality TV star-turned-rap sensation celebrated her historic achievement on Twitter by writing, “Wow I got two Diamond records! Thank you sooo much @maroon5 for including me on this song and this is the song I cater to my daughter every time I perform it. I’m forever grateful.”
Wow I got two Diamond records! Thank you sooo much @maroon5 for including me on this song and this is the song I cater to my daughter every time I perform it.I’m forever grateful ?
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) November 30, 2021
Taken from Maroon 5’s Red Pill Blues album, “Girls Like You” topped the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent seven weeks. The song, whose video has over three billion YouTube views, won multiple Billboard Music Awards while earning a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2019 Grammys.
“She was in the honeymoon period of her moment,” Maroon 5’s Adam Levine said of Cardi’s cameo. “She was just beginning to be that female artist that everybody was talking about, and I thought it was an important thing for her to be involved. I knew she would have an interesting take on what was being said, and she would do it in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily have thought of.”
The 29-year-old Bronx native first achieved diamond status in March when her 2017 breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow,” reached the 10 million sales mark — again, becoming the first female rapper to do so.
Nicki Minaj, her long-running rival for the Queen of Rap crown, followed suit in November with “Super Bass.”
Cardi B has made more than just rap history thanks to “Girls Like You,” though. According to Chart Data, she’s only the third female artist ever with multiple diamond singles, joining an exclusive club that includes Katy Perry (who has three) and Lady Gaga (who also has two).
It might not be long until Cardi leads that pack as her “No Limit” collaboration with G-Eazy and A$AP Rocky recently climbed to 7x-platinum status while her Megan Thee Stallion-assisted “WAP” is currently at 6x-platinum, according to the RIAA.
Female artists with multiple @RIAA Diamond singles:@katyperry 3@ladygaga 2@iamcardib 2
— chart data (@chartdata) November 30, 2021
Cardi B could add another feather to her cap at the 2022 Grammy Awards in January, where her 2021 solo hit “Up” is up for Best Rap Performance. It faces competition from Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy,” J. Cole’s “My Life,” Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot Shit” and Baby Keem’s “Family Ties.”
If Cardi emerges victorious, it’ll be her second Grammy Award following her Best Rap Album win for Invasion of Privacy in 2019, which was another historic feat for a solo female rapper.
