Burnaboy’s song joins the growing list of Nigerian records to be Gold certified in the U.S. The list includes ‘If’, and ‘Fall’, by Davido as well as ‘Come Closer’ by Wizkid have all previously achieved the massive feat.

In the U.S., the RIAA awards certification is based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets.

A Gold record is a single or album that sells 500,000 units (records, tapes, or compact discs).

“Ye” was released on August 6, 2018, as the sixth single from his third studio album “Outside.” The song was produced by Nigerian record producer Phantom.

It peaked at number 26 and 31 on Billboard’s BillboardMainstream R&B/Hip-Hop and R&B/Hip-hop Airplay charts, respectively.

Ye earned around 11 million streams over seven months across major U.S. streaming platforms after its release. The official music video, which Burna says “essentially shows the unrelenting nature of Nigerians” is currently sitting on 137 million views on YouTube, one of his highest streamed songs on the platform.

The single saw a 200 percent spike in its streaming numbers after searches for Kanye West’s album Ye unintentionally caused listeners to stumble upon it. An elated Burna Boy subsequently thanked Kanye West for the confusion on Twitter.

“Ye” won Song of the Year and Listener’s Choice at the 2019Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. It also won Song of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Single and Best Recording of the Year at The Headies 2019.