This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: September 24
Sept. 24 is a notable day in hip-hop and R&B. It marks the birthday of Trinidad James, born in 1987, whose 2012 breakout single “All Gold Everything” peaked at No….

Sept. 24 is a notable day in hip-hop and R&B. It marks the birthday of Trinidad James, born in 1987, whose 2012 breakout single "All Gold Everything" peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. James has also written songs for artists such as Queen Naija, City Girls, and Kehlani.
Also born on this day in 1989 is Kreayshawn, who went viral with her 2011 single "Gucci Gucci." The song peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 18 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Significant events in hip-hop and R&B on Sept. 24 included:
- 1988: Bobby McFerrin's international hit "Don't Worry Be Happy" started a two-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time an a cappella song topped the chart. It went on to win Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 31st Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1989.
- 2013: Drake's third album, Nothing Was the Same, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 658,000 copies in its first week. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2014 but lost to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' The Heist.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Sept 24. saw several seminal album releases:
- 1990: King Tee dropped his second album, At Your Own Risk, featuring guest appearances from Ice Cube and Breeze. It peaked at No. 175 on the Billboard 200 and No. 35 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 1991: A Tribe Called Quest's second album, The Low End Theory, came out. It debuted at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and was ranked No. 43 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020.
- 1996: The Roots released their third album, Illadelph Halflife. With guest contributions from D'Angelo and Amel Larrieux, it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2019: Ryan Upchurch's 10th album, Parachute, was released. It debuted at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 23 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
- 2021: YoungBoy NeverBroke Again dropped his third album, Sincerely, Kentrell. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 137,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of sales. The album also reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Industry Changes and Challenges
The following events marred the hip-hop and R&B scenes on Sept. 24:
- 1988: James Brown was arrested in Augusta, Georgia, after leading police on an interstate car chase. The singer was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and eluding law enforcement and received a six-year prison sentence. He was released on parole in February 1991.
- 2022: Lotta Cash Desto was fatally shot in Houston, Texas. He was a close affiliate of Lil Uzi Vert, with whom he collaborated on songs such as "Vegas" and "Lunchroom."




