Usher Makes History: Joining Legend Michael Jackson as the Only Black Men with Diamond Album and Single

On February 9th, 2024, Usher Raymond achieved a milestone, joining Michael Jackson as one of the only Black men to hold both a Diamond album and a Diamond single. In the 71-year history of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), only 129 albums have reached Diamond status, with just six of them coming from solo Black male vocalists. Among these are iconic albums like Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie, Purple Rain by Prince, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, Confessions by Usher, and Bad & Thriller by Michael Jackson.

Recently, the RIAA announced updates to the certification statuses of Usher's hits, revealing impressive achievements across his catalog. Confessions, the album, reached 14x platinum, while Yeah, the single, reached 13x platinum. Other notable updates include DJ Got Us Falling in Love (8x platinum), 8701 (5x platinum), and Burn (4x platinum), among others.

With Yeah reaching certified Diamond status, Usher now stands as the only Black man alongside Michael Jackson to achieve this remarkable feat. Additionally, he joins a prestigious group of artists with both a Diamond album and a Diamond single, including Eminem, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Elton John, and Taylor Swift.

Usher's recent certifications have further solidified his place in music history, with a total of 81.5 million digital single sales. His remarkable sales figures place him among the top male vocalists in the industry, alongside artists like Chris Brown, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber.

As Usher continues to make waves in the music industry, fans eagerly anticipate what future achievements and milestones he will accomplish next.