MC Hammer was the First Rapper to Have a Diamond Album - Beats, Rhymes and Lists (2024)

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Who was the first rapper to have a diamond album? ›

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em took rap music to another level of popularity. It became the first hip hop album to be certified diamond by the RIAA with sales of over ten million in the US.

Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album.

Known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography and his eponymous Hammer pants. Remembered for a rapid rise to fame, Hammer has also been an entrepreneur and celebrity spokesperson.

Only three hip-hop artists besides Eminem have a Diamond-certified album: Outkast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below), Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), The Notorious BIG (Life After Death), and Beastie Boys (License to Ill).

Garth Brooks is the artist with the most diamond albums.

"Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind" by Elton John. "Something About the Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind" became the first-ever song to be certified diamond on October 9, 1997.

Crazy how MC Hammer really went diamond, popular af in his heyday.

Garth Brooks holds the record for most diamond-certified albums, with nine. Others with three or more albums that have reached diamond status include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Shania Twain and the Eagles. The RIAA awards diamond plaques to albums and singles that reach 10 times platinum status.

While the rapper experienced phenomenal success in the early 1990s, he is mostly remembered for his #1 hit, "Can't Touch This." However, the artist formerly known just as Hammer, had five songs reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Pray," "2 Legit 2 Quit" and "Addams Groove."

This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album. "Son of the King" showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power (1987), as well as the re-released version Let's Get It Started (1988).

Who gave MC Hammer his nickname? ›

- IMDb. Mc Hammer Explains How He Got His Name (Hint: It Involves a Legend!) You can thank baseball legend Hank Aaron for Mc Hammer's name. The hip-hop artist behind "U Can't Touch This" raised in Oakland and grew up an avid Oakland A's fan.

But it's also a far cry from Hammer's peak. At the height of his career in the early-to-mid-1990s, Hammer's fortune topped $70 million. Sadly, he lost much of that with some poor business choices and a sense of extravagance that was untenable. Hammer filed for bankruptcy in 1996.

Jay-Z has earned his first ever diamond certification. The RIAA noted on Monday (June 12), that his 2011 collaboration with Kanye West, "N-ggas In Paris" achieved 10x platinum status, qualifying it for a diamond plaque with 10,000,000 units sold.

Post Malone holds the record for the most diamond-certified songs with eight to his name. He earned his first in 2019 for "Congratulations." He received two more awards in 2020 (for "Rockstar" and "Sunflower") and an additional two in 2022 (for "White Iverson" and "Psycho" featuring Ty Dolla $ign).

In March 2011, within days of each other, The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums. With more than 60 million "likes"

For the first time in his nearly 30-year career, JAY-Z has finally earned himself a Diamond record. On Monday, June 12, Chart Data confirmed that the Brooklyn native's 2011 hit "N***as In Paris" with Kanye West went 10x platinum according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Jay-Z has earned his first ever diamond certification. The RIAA noted on Monday (June 12), that his 2011 collaboration with Kanye West, "N-ggas In Paris" achieved 10x platinum status, qualifying it for a diamond plaque with 10,000,000 units sold.

Since 1990, only eight rap releases have earned the coveted honor.