Kendrick Lamar has added to his increasing collection of platinum plaques ahead of what is shaping out to be a banner year for the Compton kingpin.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Kendrick's "Family Ties" collaboration with Baby Keem platinum on Monday (January 31) after it sold one million copies in the United States.
The TDE rapper now has 26 platinum awards under his belt, including 23 platinum or multi-platinum singles and three million-selling albums.
"Family Ties," which appeared on Baby Keem's debut album The Melodic Blue in 2021, reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Keem's biggest hit to date and Kendrick Lamar's highest-charting song since 2018.
K. delivers a ferocious ending verse. The triple-sided track Dot has been nominated for two Grammys in 2022, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. (Keem is up for Best New Artist as well.)
The song is also the first formal collaboration between Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, who are cousins in real life. Keem, who is 21 years old, is signed to pgLang, which Kendrick co-founded in March 2020.
Kendrick Lamar's highly anticipated fifth studio album, which is slated to be released this year, might earn him even more honors in 2022.
The 34-year-old rapper is said to be releasing a new single this month (due on February 4 or 11) ahead of his Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show appearance on February 13 with Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige.
The upcoming project will be Kendrick's final release on Top Dawg Entertainment, the close-knit label he's called home since the mid-2000s, and will serve as the follow-up to 2017's Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN.
“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” he announced in a rare statement last year. “The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators.
“As I continue to pursue my life’s calling. There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.”
