OutKast's double album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" (Arista) has been certified eight-times platinum for U.S. shipments in excess of eight million units.
Creed and Evanescence also added shipments to their multi-platinum tallies, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America.
"Human Clay," the 1999 album by Creed, rose to 11-times platinum, while Evanescence's "Fallen" went quadruple platinum. Their Wind-Up Records labelmate Seether also saw the first gold record of its career with "Disclaimer," which shipped more than 500,000 units in January.
Virgin singer/songwriter Ben Harper (news) received his first taste of gold in his decadelong career. He earned certifications for three albums -- "Fight for Your Mind," "Burn to Shine" and "Live From Mars."
Ruben Studdard keeps the "American Idol" success going with "Soulful" (J Records), which earned the television-bred star his first platinum award.
Alicia Keys (news) reached double platinum in January with her sophomore J Records effort, "The Diary of Alicia Keys."
Veteran country star Toby Keith (news) started the year with a pair of multi-platinum certifications for his latest, "Shock'n Y'All" (DreamWorks Nashville) and 2002's "Unleashed," while newcomer Josh Turner received his first gold honor with his MCA Nashville debut, "Long Black Train."
