Kendrick Lamar is currently laying low after wrapping up his massive "Grand National" tour around the world. If he chooses to do so for the rest of his life, he will still be living off of his work as if his whole catalog dropped yesterday. News recently broke that K.Dot's classic 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city has now sold over 10 million album-equivalent units in the United States.
Per Hip Hop All Day on Twitter, this makes the project eligible for Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His next most commercially successful LP in this regard is 2017's DAMN., which has sold over 9 million album-equivalent units at press time.
Kendrick has a few albums and songs eligible for these certifications that he still hasn't solidified, for reasons unknown. Maybe he and his team are just happy with the accolades as they come and aren't concerned about the full thing.
Nevertheless, this is an incredible achievement for a record turning 14 years old later in 2026. In fact, Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city era still garners interest today. A track from that time leaked in November of last year that caught a lot of fans' attention for its sample of Radiohead's Kid A opener, "Everything In Its Right Place."
What Is Kendrick Lamar's Highest-Selling Album?
By traditional first week sales metrics and pure album sales in a single year, DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar's highest-selling album to date. However, it seems like good kid, m.A.A.d city is such an achievement in longevity that it surpassed DAMN. when it comes to album-equivalent sales over time, with both albums bolstered by incredible streaming success and sustainability in the years following their releases.
But will Kendrick Lamar drop another album soon? That is the question fans really want to answer. Kendrick Lamar's Top Dawg Entertainment Christmas event appearance led many to assume this would be the case, although that could just be fan interpretation telling them what they want to hear.
Nevertheless, good kid, m.A.A.d city still hits hard today. It's not only a commercial juggernaut, but one of the millenium's definitive, beloved LPs.
