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Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, And Ariana Grande's "Bang Bang" Becomes First All-Female Collaboration To Be RIAA-Certified Diamond
Today (May 23), Nicki Minaj earned her second Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for her contributions to Jessie J’s “Bang Bang.” The track, which also featured Ariana Grande, debuted in 2010 and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The trio shot the accompanying visuals — nearing 2 billion YouTube views at the time of reporting — days after the song topped the iTunes charts. It subsequently appeared on both Jessie’s third studio album, Sweet Talker, and the deluxe edition of Grande’s second, My Everything.
During an interview with Glamour, Jessie detailed how the collaboration came together. “I recorded the first verse, and then [someone played it for] Nicki in the studio. [She] was like, ‘I’ve got to jump on this.’ We didn’t go to her and ask. She wanted to do it,” the singer explained. “I’ll never forget: I was in my bedroom in my flat in London, and I got sent the version with Nicki on it. I just sat at the end of my bed holding my phone, staring at the floor, going, ‘How the f**k did I land this?’ I literally felt like I’d won a competition.”
We need bad girls to blow our minds! #BangBang 💥 is the first all-female collaboration to achieve #RIAATopCertified Diamond 💎 single status! Congratulations to @JessieJ, Ariana Grande and @NICKIMINAJ! @RepublicRecords pic.twitter.com/oRNEmyUyk3
— RIAA (@RIAA) May 23, 2024
Minaj’s first Diamond certification came from “Super Bass,” one of several surefire cuts from Pink Friday. In 2021, she took to Instagram to express her gratitude alongside a video of the plaque.
“Thank you for over a decade of support, Barbz. Special [thanks] to Ester Dean, Kane [Beatz], Juice, Taylor Swift, Sofia Grace, Rosie [McClelland], Ellen [DeGeneres], Young Money/Cash Money, and Republic [Records],” she captioned the post. “This one was released [before] the streaming era, so millions of fans actually purchased the song. I’m so grateful for you guys. Sending love and blessings your way.”
Other Hip Hop artists in the Diamond club include Lil Baby and Gunna for “Drip Too Hard,” Cardi B for “Bodak Yellow,” Lil Wayne for “Lollipop,” and Travis Scott for “SICKO MODE,” to name a few.
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