Kanye West Earns First Diamond Plaque With "Stronger"

The ‘Graduation’ cut has officially sold 10 million units.

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Kanye West has officially earned his first diamond plaque from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with “Stronger.”

The RIAA certified that the single has sold at least 10 million copies on October 6, 14 years after its release. The cut was first certified gold, platinum and triple platinum in December 2008, four and five-time platinum in May 2013, six and seven-time platinum in February 2015, eight-time platinum in April 2018 and nine-time platinum in September 2020.

“Stronger” was released in July 2007 and billed as the second single from Graduation. The five-minute track is produced by West with additional work from Mike Dean, and famously features a vocal sample from Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” It became Ye’s third No. 1 and eventually gave him a GRAMMY win for Best Rap Solo Performance.

In related news, top high school basketball prospects have announced that they are transferring to West’s Donda Academy.

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Sophie Caraan
Sophie Caraan Managing Editor

Sophie Caraan is the Managing Editor at Hypebeast, where she sets the editorial direction, standards, and output strategy for the HQ team. With a decade of editorial experience, she brings both a storyteller's instinct and a strategist's eye — spotlighting the figures and movements that shape the culture across a multitude of lanes. Her tenure is marked by high-impact conversations with the likes of RZA, Mads Mikkelsen, CORTIS, Erling Haaland, Kasing Lung, NIGO, and more.

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