Jay-Z is celebrating a huge milestone this week.
According to AllHipHop, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has granted his historic album, "The Blueprint," triple platinum status, more than two decades after this was previously bestowed upon the hip-hop superstar.
"The Blueprint" became Jay-Z's most successful album in September 2001.
It rocketed to the top of the charts and sold 427,000 copies in its first week.
This important hip-hop effort from the 2000s reached platinum immediately after its debut and double platinum in May 2002. It is now certified with three million album-equivalent sales, over two decades later - a landmark for one of rap's iconic albums.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z defended Just Blaze during a Twitter Space after Kanye West accused him of plagiarizing his work on the album. Beyonce's husband insisted that everyone involved deserved credit for their contributions to what became a renowned work of art.
"The product we created together is in the Library of Congress," the "N*ggas in Paris" rapper explained.
"It's something we should all be proud of, and each person deserves credit for their part in it; everyone was assigned a task, and they did their best to complete it as a group."
READ ALSO: Taylor Swift, Joe Alwyn Split Because He Couldn't Cope With THIS?
'The Blueprint 2' and 'The Blueprint 3'
Jay-Z's seventh studio album, "The Blueprint 2: Gift and Curse," was released on November 12, 2002, as a follow-up to his 2001 album "The Blueprint." It was very much in line with his distinctive style.
"The Blueprint 2.1" was a reissue of music from the original "The Blueprint" album, released in 2003. It was an instant smash, entering at number one with 545,000 first-week sales and earning three times Multi-Platinum certification from the RIAA.
He labeled this release one of his least favorites ten years later, in 2013, owing to its abundance of song material.
Jay-Z's eleventh studio album, "The Blueprint 3," was released on September 8, 2009. It was the last installment of a trilogy of albums known as "The Blueprint" series.
When it was released, the album received great reviews from reviewers and was a commercial success.
During its first week of release, 476,000 copies were sold in the United States, propelling it to the top of Billboard's US 200 list.
In doing so, he surpassed Elvis Presley by having nine consecutive top-position albums on this chart.
READ MORE: John Travolta MIA During 'Grease' TV Show Premiere: Heartbreaking Reason Revealed
