Cardi B just claimed the crown she never asked for—and the streets won’t shut up about it.
When the Recording Industry Association of America certified “WAP” Diamond on August 3, 2026, Cardi locked a record that won’t be broken tomorrow. With that fourth Diamond plaque, she officially surpassed Nicki Minaj’s previous high of three, making her the female rapper with the most RIAA Diamond-certified songs in history.
Let’s be clear about the math: “WAP”—Cardi’s scorching 2020 collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion—hit 10 million units, the threshold for Diamond status. But this wasn’t just another certification. The song became the first collaboration between two female rappers to reach Diamond, a milestone that hit different for both artists. For Megan, it marked her first Diamond plaque ever. For Cardi, it was the punctuation mark on a historic streak.
Her four Diamond records are “Bodak Yellow,” the solo track that introduced her as a force in 2017; “I Like It” (featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin); “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5; and now “WAP.” Three of the four are collabs or features—a distinction that immediately became central to the discourse. On X (formerly Twitter), Cardi and Megan celebrated the moment. “Me and @theestallion really did that!!!” Cardi wrote, and Megan fired back: “WOWW omg diamond sisterrr thank you for having me.”
Now, the comparison to Nicki is unavoidable—partly because the internet made it that way. Nicki’s three Diamond records are “Super Bass,” “Starships,” and “Bang Bang” (with Jessie J and Ariana Grande). The difference? All of Nicki’s hit that milestone as massive cultural moments in their own right, and the debate about Cardi’s feature-heavy streak is real. But here’s the thing: Diamond certifications count collaborations equally under RIAA rules. Cardi didn’t change the rules—she just exploited the lane she found.
The “WAP” certification arrived nearly six years after the song’s August 2020 release, proving its staying power is genuine. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, became a full-blown cultural phenomenon (complete with Cardi going viral talking about it), and has aged like fine wine in the streaming economy. That’s longevity you can’t fake.
Cardi B burst onto the scene with “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, becoming the first female rapper ever to earn a Diamond certification with a solo record. Her debut album, “Invasion of Privacy,” later became the first album by any artist to have every single track certified at least platinum—a flex that still hasn’t been matched. From there, she’s been stacking plaques at a pace that’s made comparisons to every other female rapper in the game feel small. And now, with four Diamonds, she’s in a category by herself.
This matters because female rap has historically struggled for streaming equity and long-term commercial recognition. Cardi took that system and made it work harder than it’s ever worked for any woman in the genre. Whether you argue the collaborations dilute or enhance the achievement is beside the point—she’s got four, and at 32 years old (as of 2026), she’s still adding to the collection. Her 2025 album “Am I the Drama?” already showed she’s got more left in the tank.
The 16BARS take: Cardi B didn’t just break Nicki’s record—she redefined what commercial dominance looks like in female rap. Love the collabs or hate the debate, the plaques don’t lie.
