Cardi B Makes History as “Bodak Yellow” Receives RIAA Diamond Certification

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Cardi B isn’t just makin’ money moves… She’s also making history.

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar’s major-label debut single “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Cardi B is the first female rapper to achieve a diamond single award, according to the RIAA, meaning “Bodak Yellow” has moved 10 million units. According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams. Cardi B reached the milestone on Monday, and her hit collaboration “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, is halfway there with its 5x multi-platinum status as of March 3, according to the RIAA website.

Cardi B posted a video explaining how her label Atlantic Records surprised her with the plaque at a restaurant after a long, exhausting day of rehearsal.

“I just want to say thank you guys so much because without you guys, it wouldn’t have happened,” she told the Bardi Gang. “It really made my day. And it really uplifted me.”

Rebecca Black Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Her Viral Hit “Friday” with Modernized “Friday (Remix)”

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rebecca Black is ready for a weekend-themed anniversary…

The 23-year-old half-Mexican American YouTube star and singer is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her viral smash single “Friday” in a big way.

Black revisists her debut single and remakes it into a modern pop anthem by dropping her “Friday Remix.”

It’s a glitched-out, star-studded revision of her 2011 viral hit “Friday” on the original’s 10th anniversary. Produced by Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs and featuring new vocals from Big Freedia, 3OH!3 and Dorian Electra, the new song morphs the original’s simple pop aesthetic into a hyperpop overload.

The official video arrived a few hours later.

Black’s original vocals are distorted and pitched-up to the point where they’re hardly recognizable, while Brady laces the track with a pounding bass kick and pixellated synth line to give it a fresh, modern refurbishing.

Electra joins in on the fun, giving the “story” from the original a sight detour; “It’s 7:45, we’re driving on the highway/ I got this, you got this, my friend is by my right, aye,” they sing.

By the time 3OH!3 arrives to declare that they’re “sick of living through these Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays” for the bridge, the track completely changes once again to an ethereal, synth-filled chorale. But Big Freedia quickly rips the song back into a thrumming dance rhythm, as the Queen of Bounce commands you to “Make it clap like you’re grateful/ Make it clap like you’re blessed/ Make it clap clap, dance in your backseat, ain’t nobody strapped.”

“I’d had the idea to do this remix of Friday for years leading up to now, but honestly it was also mildly insane for me to think anyone else would want to be a part of it,” Black said of the song in a statement. “As I started talking about it with other artists and producers, I couldn’t believe how stoked people were about it. I am thrilled to have some of my favorite artists (and people) as a part of this moment.”

The unexpected remix comes on the heels of yet another milestone for the viral single: On Monday, “Friday” was officially certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), meaning the single has moved more than 500,000 units.

Recording Academy Adds Two Linda Ronstadt Albums to Grammy Hall of Fame, Including “Canciones de Mi Padre”

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Linda Ronstadt is pulling a double…

The Recording Academy has announced 29 songs and albums that it’ll add to the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the 74-year-old half-Mexican American singer landing two albums on the list.

Ronstadt’s Spanish-language album Canciones de Mi Padre, released in 1987, has earned a place in the Grammy Hall.

Ronstadt’s first album of Mexican traditional Mariachi music immediately became a global smash. It sold 2.5 million copies in the U.S. and has been RIAA certified double-platinum. It won Ronstadt the Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album at the 31st Grammy Awards.

Ronstadt was also recognized for Trio, the country album she made with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. It was also released in 1987.

The album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide and has also received several accolades, including the Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The Grammy Hall now includes 1,142 recordings.

“We are proud to announce this year’s diverse roster of Grammy Hall of Fame inductees and to recognize recordings that have shaped our industry and inspires music makers of tomorrow,” Harvey Mason Jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each recording has had a significant impact on our culture, and it is an honor to add them to our distinguished catalog.”

Here’s the full list of 2021 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees:

“Au Clair de la Lune,” Edouard-Leon Scott De Martinville, single (c. 1853-61)
“Blues Breakers,” John Mayall with Eric Clapton, album (1966)
“Canciones de Mi Padre,” Linda Ronstadt, album (1987)
“Clean Up Woman,” Betty Wright, single (1971)
“Copenhagen,” Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra, single (1924)
“Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey, single (1981)
“Freight Train,” Elizabeth Cotton, single (1958)
“Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.,” Bruce Springsteen, album (1973)
“Horses,” Patti Smith, album (1975)
“Hot Buttered Soul,” Isaac Hayes, album (1969)
“In the Right Place,” Dr. John, album (1973)
“Licensed to Ill,” Beastie Boys, album (1986)
“Mad Dogs & Englishmen,” Joe Cocker, album (1970)
“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at ‘The Club’,” The Cannonball Adderley Quintet, album (1966)
“Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major,” Leonard Bernstein with the Philharmonia Orchestra Of London, album (1948)
“Schoenberg: The Four String Quartets,” Kolisch String Quartet, album (1937)
“So,” Peter Gabriel, album (1986)
“Solitude,” Billie Holiday, single (1952)
“Ten,” Pearl Jam, album (1991)
“Texas Flood,” Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble, album (1983)
“The Cars,” The Cars, album (1978)
“The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers, single (1978)
“The Low End Theory,” A Tribe Called Quest, album (1991)
“Time Is On My Side,” Irma Thomas, single (1964)
“Trio,” Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, album (1987)
“We Are The World,” USA For Africa, single (1985)
“When the Levee Breaks,” Kansas Joe And Memphis Minnie, single (1929)
“Wreck of the Old 97,” Vernon Dalhart, single (1924)
“Y.M.C.A.,” Village People, single (1978)

Kid Cudi to Release Trilogy-Capping Album “Man on the Moon III: The Chosen”

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Kid Cudi is headed back to the Moon…

The 36-year-old half-Mexican American rapper/singer, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, will return to the moon with his trilogy-capping album Man on the Moon III: The Chosen on Friday.

And he’s not flying solo: Pop Smoke will receive a posthumous credit on “Show Out,” also featuring Skepta, while Phoebe Bridgers appears on “Lovin’ Me” and Trippie Redd joins him on “Rockstar Knights.”

On Monday, Kid Cudi shared the abstract watercolor album artwork and the 18-song track list, which is divided into four acts: “Act 1: Return 2 Madness,” “Act 2: The Rager, The Menace,” “Act 3: Heart of Rose Gold” and “Act 4: Powers.”

“In the last 10 years, Scott Mescudi has been through hell and back. After feeling like his world was over, he found hope and overcame the darkness that was plaguing his life,” the album’s liner notes read. “But happiness isn’t forever. What he thought was peace turns into a nightmare. He finds himself lost dealing with the same pain he had not felt in years. In one night, he must face himself again and fight to win back his soul from the evil Mr. Rager.”

Kid Cudi first blasted off with Man on the Moon: The End of Day in 2009. His debut studio album was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gained three Grammy nominations, two of which were specifically for his Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 hit “Day ‘N’ Nite.” The project’s sequel, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, arrived the following year. Now a full decade later, he’s ready to embark on the third and final leg of his expedition.

And he’s reigniting the hype with his first music video in four years, which is helmed by his frequent collaborator and renowned music video director Nabil.

Here’s the official album trailer for Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, which can be pre-ordered here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvexZz-HJkA&feature=youtu.be

The Late Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes & Her TLC Mates to be Focus of A&E Network’s “Biography” Documentary

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Lisa ‘Left Eye‘ Lopes is getting the biography treatment…

The late part-Mexican American singer, music producer and dancer and her fellow TLC members will be the focus of a two-hour Biography documentary special for A&E Network in 2021. TLC is one of the top-selling girl groups of all time.

The network greenlit the feature film that tells the story of the group’s meteoric rise to fame in T-Boz and Chilli‘s own words. Oscar– and Emmy-winning director Roger Ross Williams and his One Story Up production company, with Emmy-winning producer Geoff Martz, will executive produce, with Matt Kay as director.

“As someone who has long been in awe of TLC and their musical and cultural impact, I am thrilled to be a part of bringing the story of their music, their journey, and their continuing reverence to the screen,” Williams said in a press statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with A&E, as well as filmmaker Matthew Kay, to bring this film to life. We hope this film illuminates a side of this incredible group and Tionne ‘T-Boz‘ Watkins, Lopes, and Rozonda ‘Chilli‘ Thomas that longtime fans and viewers alike have not seen before.”

The ’90s R&B trio has four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, four multi-platinum albums and four Grammy awards to their name. Their sophomore album CrazySexyCool made them the first girl group to earn a diamond-certified album by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

“The Biography banner has always focused on telling the stories of remarkable people who have had a major impact on our collective culture,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, evp and head of programming at A&E Network, in a statement. “As a revolutionary group that broke boundaries and influenced an entire generation, TLC falls directly into that category and we are honored to tell their incredible story as it has never been told before.”

On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a car crash while organizing charity work in Honduras. She swerved off the road to avoid hitting another vehicle, and was thrown from her car. She was working on a documentary at the time of her death, which was released as The Last Days of Left Eye and aired on VH1 in May 2007.

Marc Anthony’s “3.0” Becomes First-Ever Salsa Album to Earn RIAA’s Diamante Certification

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Anthony is shining bright like a diamond…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, the best-selling tropical salsa artist of all time, has earned a spot in the annals of music history with his 2013 album 3.0, which at the time was his first salsa album in a decade.

The album, which was considered a risky release at the time with tropical music beginning to fade in popularity due to the resurgence of reggaeton, has became the first salsa album ever to be certified “Diamante,” the RIAA’s highest certification for a Latin album, for shipments of over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone.

Anthony announced the major accomplishment on his Instagram page, posting a slideshow of photos that feature him cozying up to the Diamond plaque and grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow 3.0 First Salsa album ever to reach Diamond Status,” Anthony wrote in his caption. “Thanks to my team and everyone that worked on the album y Gracias a mis fans por siempre apoyar mi música y hacer este uno de sus favoritos. God bless!”

This major milestone for the project is only its latest accomplishment.

In 2013, 3.0 became the top-selling release of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The hit single from the album, “Vivir Mi Vida,” also spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming the first tropical single in a decade to top the chart and the longest-running No. 1 tropical song in the history of the chart.

“It’s a huge honor for us at Sony Music Latin to work with Marc,” Sony Music Latin Iberia Chairman and CEO Afo Verde said as he presented Marc Anthony his RIAA Diamante plaque in a virtual ceremony. “He continues to break records time and time again and creates new ones all on his own. His music is forever. He’s proven that his recordings, from birth and even five, 10, 20 years later, are everlasting and will be sung by everyone for a lifetime.”

Anthony also talked about the milestone, revealing the confidence boost the success of the project gave him all those years ago.

“The arrival of this new achievement in this particular time is truly gratifying and inspiring for me,” Marc said. “3.0 was an album that I considered risky at the time of its release. The Latin music industry was beginning to shift and the main attention was going to other genres. The album was embraced by everyone in such a powerful way. That response gave a boost of reassurance in my career and my instincts as a music creator.”

With this accomplishment under his belt, Anthony is now working on new music.

Cardi B Releases Lavish Video for Latest Single “Money”

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Cardi Bis making Money moves…

The 26-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar has released the highly anticipated lavish visual to her braggadocios track “Money.”

Bardi takes over a spacious bank with a team of women, where she opens up the vault and heads straight for the cash.

The scene then moves to her old stomping grounds of the strip club, with Cardi B showing off some moves on the pole and dollars flying all around her.

She even takes a breather to breastfeed baby Kulture in the midst of the acrobatics.

“Money,” her first post-Invasion of Privacysingle, was produced by J. White. It was released in late October.

“Money” has maintained a firm position on the Billboard Hot 100, but is yet to crack the top 10; the solo track currently sits at No. 29 and that will almost certainly change with the help of a cinematic video to go alongside it.

Meanwhile, Cardi B will reportedly be releasing a deluxe editionto her debut album on January 25 that will feature a new song, which she previewed early this week, titled “Press.”

The 26-year-old also became the first female artist to have every track on an album certified by the RIAA, the association announced Thursday (Dec. 20).

Anuel AA’s Debut Album “Real Hasta La Muerte” Certified Gold by the RIAA…

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Anuel AA is golden…

The 25-year-old Puerto Rican trap artist’s Real Hasta La Muerte has been certified gold by the RIAA only three weeks after its release.

Anuel AA

“At the moment I have no words to say thank you for the support I have received from my fans,” said Anuel in a press statement. “I thank God more than anything for the blessing of so much good news in such a short time.” Anuel calls the album “my return to music, and I am back to stay.”

Back in July, Anuel AA earned his first No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart with his debut album, Real Hasta La Muerte.

The chart-topping album arrived on July 17 via Real Hasta La Muerte/ GLAD Empire— hours before he was released from prison after serving time for gun possession charges.

Real Hasta La Muerte opened in the penthouse with 11,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 19, according to Nielsen Music. Of its starting sum, 3,000 were in traditional album sales — a notable feat, since it only had two days of sales during the tracking week. It scored the fifth largest sales week for a Latin album in 2018, trailing only the debuts of CNCO’s self-titled album (13,000; chart dated April 21), J Balvin’s Vibras (10,000; chart dated June 9), Maluma’s F.A.M.E. (7,000; chart dated June 2), and Victor Manuelle’s 25/7 (4,000; chart dated Apr. 7).

Real Hasta La Muerte also debuted at No. 1 on the Latin Albums Sales chart.

The set, which was recorded while Anuel AA was serving his sentence, also logged 7,000 in streaming equivalent units (SEA).

Further, Anuel was the first artist to land at the summit with a debut album in a little less than a year. Ozuna bowed at No. 1 with his debut set, Odisea (Sept. 16, 2017). Real bumps Odisea down to No. 2, after 42 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. (He continues to hold the record for the most weeks atop the list for a male artist, and the third overall; Gloria Estefan’s Mi Tierra leads with 58 weeks and Selena’s Dreaming of You follows with 44.)

Mars & Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” Achieves RIAA Diamond Certification

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars has a Funk-y diamond…

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced that the 31-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s inescapable hit collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” has achieved diamond certification.

The award makes Mars and Ronson only the 10th act to reach 10 million sales for a single or album since the RIAA’s gold and platinum program expanded in 1999 to include a diamond award.

The certification comes less than two years since “Uptown Funk” was released in November 2014 and is the 13th diamond song in RIAA history.

The RIAA’s certification program was launched with the gold record in 1958. Presently, the RIAA awards a gold honor for 500,000 units sold, a platinum honor for 1 million units sold and a diamond award for more than 10 million units sold, with 100 streams counting as one certifiable unit.

“Uptown Funk” has sold over 12,422,016 in downloads and 938,694,569 audio streams in the U.S., according to a press release. The video has streamed over 1.9 billion times.

The track held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks, making it the second longest chart topper in the chart’s history.

It was also the best-selling song of 2015 and won the record of the year award at the 2016 Grammy Awards. It has been certified multi-platinum in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Mexico and the United Kingdom as well as being awarded Diamond certification in Canada and France.

McCreery Named to Forbes’ Top-Earning American Idols List

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Scotty McCreery is the Three Million Dollar Man…

The 20-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer and former American Idol champion has earned a spot on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the Top-Earning American Idols.

McCreery comes in at No. 6 on the list, raking in $3 million dollars.

“Still not old enough to drink legally and not quite three years removed from his Idol win, McCreery is already making a name for himself as a solo act,” states the magazine’s description of McCreery. “His debut album, Clear As Day, sold over 1 million copies; on the road, he opened for Brad Paisley before launching a solo tour in 2013.”

Forbes determined this year’s Top-Earning list by calculating pretax earnings from June 2012 through June 2013 “with the help of data from Pollstar Pro, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan as wells industry veterans, the musicians’ handlers and some of the artists themselves.”

Carrie Underwood, who raked in approximately $31 million, comes in No. 1 on the list. Over the past five years, Forbes estimates that she has earned $83 million.

Here’s the complete list:

1. Carrie Underwood, $31 million
2. Kelly Clarkson, $7 million
3. Phillip Phillips, $5 million
3. Adam Lambert, $5 million
5. Chris Daughtry, $4 million
6. Scotty McCreery $3 million
7. Taylor Hicks, $2.5 million
8. Fantasia Barrino, $1.5 million
8. Kellie Pickler, $1.5 million
10. Katharine McPhee, $1 million
10. Jennifer Hudson, $1 million

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