Fifteen years after its release, Kanye West’s first single “Through the Wire” has finally reached platinum status.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially certified the song platinum (for 1 million copies sold) on Nov. 20. The song initially went gold (500,00 copies sold) in March 2014.
Released in September 2003, the self-produced track was the first single from Kanye’s debut album, The College Dropout. The song was recorded in October 2002, following his near-fatal car accident in California. The title was inspired by the fact that Kanye rapped his lyrics through his wired jaw after fracturing it in three places during the crash.
On the song, which samples Chaka Khan’s 1985 ballad “Through the Wire,” Kanye details his horrific car accident and his painful recovery in the hospital.
Kanye took to the booth on this track with his mouth wired shut to spit the lines on this song. Making “Through The Wire” possibly the most gusty debut single in Hip-Hop History. Debuting your voice to the world that was your temporary voice because of the unfortunate accident.
Even as big as Kanye West has become since the recording of this song this has to be a gratifying victory to see a single of this nature reach platinum status.
