Adding to an already insanely long list of accomplishments, Kanye West and Jay-Z now have two more trophies they can proudly display — on a very sturdy wall.
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Following their sold out Madison Square Garden show on Monday night, the superstar rappers were presented with a pair of ginormous platinum plaques (a super-sized version of the album’s cover art, conceived by Italian designer Riccardo Tisci), signifying worldwide sales of over two million units for Watch the Throne. Their collaborative studio album, released on August 8, sold 436,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week alone and topped the iTunes album chart in 23 different countries. It marked Jay-Z’s twelfth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and West’s fifth.
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The backstage ceremony was presided over by Barry Weiss, chairman and CEO of Universal Republic & Island Def Jam, and IDJ Music Group president and COO Steve Bartels. It followed an “unreal” show, as one fan described to MTV, which featured a hit-heavy two-hour set and a shout-out by Jay-Z to Michael Jackson mere hours after Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. “Rest in peace to the leader of the Jackson 5,” said Jay from the stage during “Welcome to the Jungle.”
The Throne tour kicked off on October 29 at Atlanta’s 21,000 seat Philips Arena. It continues through December 18 when it hits Vancouver.
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