Jay-Z and Alicia Keys top their own sales records with “Empire State Of Mind.” The 2009 anthem reached a milestone this week, logging 5 million downloads and becoming the biggest selling single for the hip-hop mogul and the R&B songstress.
Previously, Jay-Z’s best seller had been “Umbrella,” his 2007 duet with former protégé and pop superstar Rihanna—a single that to date has sold 4 million copies. As for Keys, her personal best was the 2007 hit “No One,” which went on to total 3.7 million units.
READ MORE: Ukraine To Withdraw From Severodonetsk As Russia's Advance Grinds OnBut Jigga and Keys won’t have time to celebrate. Both artists have their hands full with the respective future projects. Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets minority owner who recently announced that he has built a Rocawear store inside the NBA team’s Barclays Center home arena, is set to host and headline the Made In America music festival in Philadelphia on September 1 and 2.
READ MORE: The United States Attorney’s Office Issues Warning Of Telephone ScamsKeys is gearing up for the November 27 release of her upcoming album Girl On Fire.
MORE NEWS: Tampa Police Arrest Man In Homicide“Empire State Of Mind,” a track featured on Jay-Z’s 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Keys later re-recorded her own piano-driven version of the song entitled “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” which reached No. 4 in the UK. —Keith Murphy, CBS Local