Drake has hit another Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) milestone. The OVO Sound/Republic megastar has now sold more than 200 million digital album units. On Thursday (October 26), Drake took to social media to share a message he received from OVO Sound president, Mr. Morgan.
“Tried to have this all go live for you yesterday, but we certified a lot of certifications for your Bday. Drake now has 223M RIAA Digital Certified Song Units as a lead artist. First artist to cross 200M in RIAA History.”
Fans went online to further list some of the other RIAA certifications Drake earned this year, which includes accolades for Thank Me Later and Her Loss with 21 Savage.
Updated RIAA certifications for Drake this year 🏆
— Drake Fan Page (@DrakeDirect_) October 26, 2023
Albums
4x – Thank Me Later
8x – Take Care
6x – Nothing Was The same
3x – Certified Lover Boy
2x – Her Loss
1x – Honestly Nevermind
Singles
8x – Headlines
8x – The Motto
7x – Take Care
9x – Hold On We’re Going Home
8x… pic.twitter.com/YJYlvECiuZ
Naturally, Eminem fans stepped in to try to to knock Drake down a peg. Em’s Stans wanted to ensure people understood Drake is not the best-selling rapper in the world.
They pointed to the RIAA’s website, which stated that the “Lose Yourself” rapper, Eminem, holds the No. 19 position among the highest RIAA-certified artists, making him the first rapper to achieve the feat.
Eminem boasts an impressive 61.5 million units sold, while Drake follows closely with 41.5 million units sold, securing his spot at No. 37. It’s important to note Drake is celebrating is digital unit sales, which is entirely different from what artists who actually had to sell physical copies had to do to hit RIAA records.