Kendrick Lamar's new album Damn, which hasn't even been out for a month yet, has already been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Interscope Records shared the good news Thursday:
Damn arrived Apr. 14 via Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath, and Interscope. Several weeks prior, Lamar had hinted that something big was coming at the end of his surprise single "The Heart Part 4," which ended with the phrase, "Y’all got til April the seventh to get y’all shit together." When that day came, Lamar didn't drop an album, but rather announced its release date.
However, any disappointments were soon forgotten when the record came out. It has been met with near-universal acclaim from critics, obsessive theorizing from fans, and stellar sales. As if that wasn't enough, every song from the album ended up on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The Compton rapper has announced plans for a tour to support the record this summer.
Damn is the first album of any genre released in 2017 to go platinum. (J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only, which went platinum last month, was released in December, 2016). The platinum plaque is not Kendrick's only recent RIAA certification. Just last month, his 2011 album Section.80 went gold.
