2Pac Reaches Sales Mark
2Pac has proved to be as compelling an artist as ever with his latest posthumous release Until the End of Time going three times platinum (platinum marking sales of 1 million) according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) certifications for May. The Death Row/Interscope release puts the rapper’s career sales at 33.5 million records sold. This firmly locks 2Pac into the position of best selling hip-hop artist of all time with the Notorious B.I.G. and Hammer far behind at sixteen million records sold apiece. The new round of certifications puts 2Pac at number twenty on the list of best selling solo artists.
Not far behind on that list but on the other end of the musical spectrum, John Denver’s canon recently received a boost when RCA records re-issued a few key titles. Chief among the re-issues was the 1973 release John Denver’s Greatest Hits now certified nine times platinum. Other big releases that received a boost are Rocky Mountain High released in 1972 and Windsong released in 1975. Denver now stands at number twenty-two on the list of all time best selling solo artists with 32.5 million records sold.
Another country artist showing impressive numbers this month is Alan Jackson. Jackson earned his tenth consecutive gold record (sales of 500,000) with his release last year of When Somebody Loves You. Every one of Jackson’s releases has been certified bringing his total sales to 25.5 million records sold.
Other artists received certifications this month include Tool, whose Lateralus hit double platinum as did Janet Jackson’s latest, All For You, which was the fastest certified album in her career. And Bruce Springsteen’s Live in New York City, his eighteenth release, went platinum.