Last week, Outkast celebrated two big anniversaries – 25 years for their 1998 masterpiece Aquemini and 20 years for their massively successful, musically expansive effort, 2003's Speakerboxx/The Love Below. To go along with the celebration, Speakerboxx/The Love Below, which spawned the no. 1 hits, "Hey Ya" and "I Like The Way You Move," was recently crowned the best-selling Hip-Hop album of all-time.
According to the RIAA, and as pointed out by HipHopDX, the album has now sold over 13 million copies, pushing it past Eminem's The Eminem Show, which was certified 12x platinum in 2022.
“Over 13 Million albums sold… outkast is everlasting. Stank You Smelly Much …To All Y’all,” Big Boi wrote in an Instagram caption celebrating the achievement.
The best-selling album in the U.S. across all genres is the Eagles' greatest hits compilation from 1971-75, which went 38x platinum. Michael Jackson's Thriller comes next with 34x platinum status, followed by the Eagles' Hotel California at 26x platinum and AC/DC's Back in Black at 25x platinum. Every album by OutKast has achieved at least platinum status, with Stankonia from 2000 being their second highest seller, boasting five million copies sold.
Take a look at the best-selling rap albums:
13x Platinum:
- OutKast — Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
12x Platinum:
11x Platinum:
- Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP
- The Notorious B.I.G. — Life After Death
10x Platinum (Diamond):
- 2Pac — All Eyez On Me
- 2Pac — Greatest Hits
- Beastie Boys — Licensed to Ill
- MC Hammer — Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em
- Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
- Nelly — Country Grammar
- Eminem — Curtain Call: The Hits
