OutKast's Iconic Album 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' Now the Best-Selling Rap Record in U.S. History

Hip-hop legends OutKast have achieved a historic milestone as their 2003 album "Speakerboxxx/The
Love Below" was officially certified 13x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. This certification solidifies it as the largest-selling rap album ever in the United States.

The iconic album, featuring the hit single "Hey Ya," surpassed Eminem's "The Eminem Show," which received its 12x platinum certification in 2022. The uniqueness of "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" as a double album contributed to its remarkable achievement, with each copy sold counting twice in the certification process.

Celebrating this momentous occasion, Big Boi, one-half of OutKast, shared his excitement on Instagram. He posted a video of himself unveiling a framed plaque commemorating the album's 13 million sales and expressed gratitude to the fans, writing, "Over 13 Million albums sold… OutKast is everlasting. Stank You Smelly Much… To All Y’all."

According to the RIAA, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" has reached the esteemed 13x platinum status, placing it among the best-selling albums across all genres. The album made waves when it debuted at No. 1, selling over 510,000 copies in its first week alone.

The album's singles, "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya!" performed exceptionally well, both peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Hey Ya!" remained at the top of the Hot 100 rankings for an impressive nine weeks.

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Moreover, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" earned OutKast the distinction of being only the second hip-hop project to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year. This accolade places the album in the same league as the Diamond-certified "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (10x Platinum), which also received this honor at the 1999 Grammy ceremony.

OutKast has another full-length release that is currently halfway to Diamond status. The RIAA certified 2000’s "Stankonia" as 5x-Platinum in November 2021. Both "Stankonia" and "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" won Grammys for Best Rap Album.

Eminem’s "The Eminem Show" (12x-Platinum) previously held the RIAA certification record for a Hip-Hop album. In addition, the Detroit rapper received RIAA Diamond Awards for 2000’s "The Marshall Mathers LP" (11x-Platinum) and 2005’s "Curtain Call: The Hits" (10x-Platinum).

Other Diamond-certified rap albums include The Notorious B.I.G.’s "Life After Death" (11x-Platinum), 2Pac’s "Greatest Hits" (10x-Platinum), 2Pac’s "All Eyez On Me" (10x-Platinum), Beastie Boys’ "Licensed to Ill" (10x-Platinum), MC Hammer’s "Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em" (10x-Platinum), and Nelly’s "Country Grammar" (10x-Platinum).

OutKast, Eminem or any other Hip-Hop act ever breaking the all-time RIAA certification record appears to be an extremely difficult feat. At the moment, "Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)" by Eagles (38x-Platinum) and "Thriller" by Michael Jackson (34x-Platinum) are battling for first place.

The biggest-selling album ever of any genre in the U.S. is the Eagles’ "1971-75 greatest hits collection" (38x platinum), followed by Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" (34 times platinum), the Eagles again with "Hotel California" (26x platinum), and AC/DC’s "Back in Black" (25x platinum). All of OutKast’s LPs have at least gone platinum, with 2000’s "Stankonia" their second biggest-selling album at five million sold.

Andre 3000 and Big Boi haven’t released new music as Outkast in over 15 years but that hasn’t stopped them from celebrating their timeless classics. A couple of years ago, Outkast celebrated the 25th anniversary of "ATLiens" with a limited reissue.

This year, they’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Aquemini" and to honor the release, the duo have released a psychedelic animated music video for “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” The legendary jazzy anthem was one of the most influential tracks of the album and has received masterful animation treatment from OK Motion Club.

In addition to the new video, Outkast is releasing a limited multi-colored edition vinyl pressing for "Aquemini."