Lil Nas X has galloped into the history books in a gargantuan way. The latest being that the star’s breakout smash ‘Old Town Road’ (Remix) featuring Billy Ray Cyrus has officially crossed a colossal milestone and is now the most-certified song in RIAA history.
Moments ago, the Recording Industry of American Arts (RIAA) and Nas’ label Columbia Records confirmed that that the omnipresent 2019 hit had been certified 14x Platinum. Representing equivalent sales of 14 million (over 143 million digital copies of the single have been sold/ purchased) in the United States. This means the track now holds the honor of being the most certified song of all time.
The Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring version of the hit track was released on April 5, 2019, four months after the independent release of the original track. The song’s award of a 14th platinum certification, helps it to break the record for the most certifications a song has ever received; breaking the tie with John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ and Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’ which are both certified 13x Platinum.
The viral rap star shared on Twitter that the single, released in 2019, had gone 14x Platinum. The star also shared a meme video sound tracked by the song and featuring an image of him in military gear. See his tweet below now.
OLD TOWN ROAD IS OFFICIALLY 14 TIMES PLATINUM! MOST PLATINUMS FOR ANY SONG EVER! LETS GOOO! pic.twitter.com/JsqUdIapfQ
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) January 9, 2021
The RIAA’s single certification guidelines were revised in 2013 to count streams toward Gold and Platinum awards. In 2019, “Old Town Road” broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, staying in the top spot for 19 weeks in total before it was unseated by Billie Eilish’s “bad guy.” Lil Nas X broke another record in November when he held an in-game performance in the game Roblox. With over 35 million views from fans around the world, the free-to-access concert became one of the most viewed concerts of all time.
Meanwhile, the musician released his latest single ‘Holiday’ (a festive track that came accompanied by a video that saw Lil Nas dress up as Santa Claus and oversee a futuristic North Pole toy factory on Christmas Eve) last year – his first new solo material since the release of his ‘7’ EP in 2019. The track was produced by duo Take a Daytrip, who previously collaborated with the singer on his single ‘Panini’.
Armed with this certification momentum, safe to say Lil Nas X’s positioned well as he marches towards the release of his debut album.
Read also: My first time as a horseman on old town road
