Nicki Minaj, The Wknd, Big Sean, and a few others artists just got their Monday made.

The Recording Industry Association of America’s chairman Cary Sherman announced Monday morning that the music certification process will change to include audio and video streams.

He said in a statement: “We know that music listening – for both for albums and songs – is skyrocketing, yet that trend has not been reflected in our album certifications.  Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today.”

Because of the change, seventeen albums have reached new milestones.

Wale’s Ambition has gone Gold, Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly have gone platinum, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller and The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness have gone multi platinum.

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a.) Jay-Z

b.) Eminem

c.) 50 Cent

d.) Nelly

If you chose Nelly (of all people), then you are correct. In fact, he performed twice. Once in 2001 alongside Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, and Mary J. Blige; then again in 2004–and we all know how that ended. However, he’s not the only hip-hop act to grace the Super Bowl stage: that same Super Bowl in 2004, the artist formerly known as P. Diddy had a guest spot, and Nicki Minaj joined Madonna in 2012. Not only have there been just three hip-hop acts to ever appear during the halftime show, not one rapper has been the headliner.

Will a hip-hop artist ever get the opportunity to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Everyone understands that this is a big show; so it would make sense to tap one of the biggest names in hip-hop, one of America’s most popular genres, to perform. This would have been a great year for hip-hop to be a part of the Super Bowl: with living legends Eminem and Jay-Z both dropping albums in 2013, either one would have been a suitable center. Even Kanye West would have been a great choice. But instead, this year’s sponsor, Pepsi, chose Bruno Mars. Bruno had an electrifying performance this past Sunday that further catapulted the Grammy winner to stardom. However, many feel Bruno was a downgrade compared to last year’s performer, Beyonce. Some may say Jay-Z would have been a better choice; what better person to follow-up Mrs. Carter than Mr. Carter?

It’s likely that the sponsors of the Halftime Show are not interested in hip-hop acts or they fear a hip-hop-oriented show will cause a decrease in viewership. Every year, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched events on television. It is dismissive of hip-hop culture to leave it out of one America’s largest musical spectacles.

Honestly, this dismissal may never die. There are a lot of politics that are involved with selecting a performer for the show, and the “risque” nature of hip-hop in the eyes of much of America will be a huge hurdle to leap. If sponsors truly feel that a hip-hop artist is not a safe idea for a halftime show, then hip-hop will continue to be left out. Hopefully sponsors will come to their senses and allow icons such as Jay, Eminem, or Kanye to headline the show before they’re too far past their prime. Maybe, if they continue their rise up the pop ranks, sponsors will call up artists like Drake, Macklemore, or Kendrick Lamar.

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An artist Cash Money fans can “look forward” to hearing an album from next is the boss himself, Birdman. Here is the video for his single “Y.U. Mad” that features Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. In the video Birdman and Minaj can be seen riding in a Maybach Landaulet showing that “baby money” isn’t that bad to have. Minaj wears some unusual clothing, per usual, and rocks a very revealing dress in one scene and a Lil Wayne-esque outfit in another. Birdman’s album, Bigga Than Life, is scheduled to be released on March 22, 2012.

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