Kendrick Lamar's DAMN has taken him to heights that far supersede the limits of hip hop, his Pulitzer prize a victory that will undoubtedly have cultural repercurssions. The consequence of which are no more present than in the recognition he's received from Recording Industry Association of America aka the RIAA. As of May 25, all 14 songs on DAMN have been certified Platinum, designating digital sales figures over 1 million units sold per record.
If you were to do the calculations yourself, it equates to 150 video or song streams per unit, a million times over. The RIAA updated their guidelines to reflect the rapid decline of retail. The changes to its Gold and Platinum award program took effect on Feb. 1, 2016, and it's been confusing to draw comparisons with albums of old because of nuances that make it damn near impossible, such as market saturation, availability, technology, radio play and other extenuating factors.
Never the less, Kendrick's platinum sweep speaks to his profundity and his ability to turn in an unblemished piece of work. Kendrick is only the 2nd artist or group to achieve this rare feat. Alt-Rock band Twenty One Pilots was first to earn a Gold certification on every track on Blurryface, but they a good year and half to lengthen their lead.
