Shatta Wale Becomes 1st Ghana-based Musician To Get RIAA Gold-Certified As Beyonce's Already Sells Over 500k

• Dancehall stalwart Shatta Wale has received his first-ever gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
• The award is for Shatta Wale's collaboration with Beyonce on Already, one of the songs on the American's Lion King: The Gift album which also featured Major Lazer
• By this feat, Shatta Wale has become the first Ghana-based musician to receive to be certified by RIAA and the second Ghanaian ever

Dancehall music star Shatta Wale has made history as the first Ghana-based musician to receive a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Shatta Wale has achieved the feat through his collaboration with Beyonce. The American superstar featured Shatta Wale and on Already which also had Major Lazer on it.

Released on July 19, 2019, Already was part of Beyonce's The Lion King album which was made as a music project for the movie Black Is King. One year after the song's release, Beyonce released its video as part of a visual album.

Read also

Nana Aba Anamoah And Actress Jackie Apiah Hangout In Adorable Video; Folks Happy To See Them Together

On Monday, August 8, 2022, the RIAA announced that it had given the song a gold certificate. Already was part of many songs published on RIAA's official website

RIAA Gold certification

According to the RIAA, for any song or album to be certified as gold, it must have sold 500,000 units in the United States.

This means that the Already song has made the mark three years after its release.

Shatta Wale is the second Ghanaian after Fuse ODG

While Shatta Wale is the first Ghana-based musician to chalk such a feat, he becomes the second Ghanaian to be awarded by the RIAA.

United Kingdom-based singer Fuse ODG, who is largely considered British, was the first. Fuse's collaboration with Major Lazer and Nyla Light It Up Remix has been certified as double platinum, which is over two million copies sold.

Read also

Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake dies at 84

Released in 2015, the song received its gold certification in 2017 before going 2x platinum on September 15, 2021.

Shatta Wale turns Ada Asafotufiami upside down

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported how Shatta Wale arrived in Ada in grand style and shared money on the streets ahead of his performance at the Asafotufiami festival.

The musician had the whole town in a frenzy as he threw banknotes into the air and had folks rushing to get their share of the cash.

Social media has reacted to a video of the incident with mixed reactions as some expressed admiration for the act whiles others found it unnecessary.

Source: YEN.com.gh