Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late has become the first 2015 album to go platinum in the US, selling over 1m copies since its release in February. Taylor Swift is the only other artist to have shifted as many copies of an album this year, although her 1989 was released back in 2014.
According to Nielsen Music, which records US chart figures, Drake’s album sold 8,000 copies last week, enough to bring the overall total up to 1.007m copies. It means that all four of Drake’s albums have now reached the 1m mark, with Nothing Was the Same (released 2013; 1.72 million), Take Care (2011; 2.26 million) and Thank Me Later (2010; 1.8 million) all achieving platinum status.
Shortly after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was released, 10 of its tracks appeared on the Billboard hot 100 hip-hop/R&B list. However, he still has some way to go to catch Swift. Her album 1989 has sold 1.463m already this year and boasts a whopping total of 5.124m sales.
That didn’t stop Drake from taking to Instagram to celebrate, however. He said: “Platinum off the tape. Views up next. Thank you once again.”
The rapper plans to release his next album, Views from the 6, in September and will be hoping to make it five platinum albums in a row.
