This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: October 9
Oct. 9 is a monumental date in hip-hop and R&B for many reasons. For starters, it marks the birthday of Lecrae, who was born in 1979. He made history by…
Oct. 9 is a monumental date in hip-hop and R&B for many reasons. For starters, it marks the birthday of Lecrae, who was born in 1979. He made history by becoming the first Christian hip-hop artist to win a GRAMMY for Best Gospel Album, a feat he achieved at the 2013 GRAMMY Awards with his sixth album, Gravity. His follow-up, Anomaly, released in 2014, would be his first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Also born on this day, in 1944, is Nona Hendryx. She's one-third of the influential R&B trio LaBelle, known for hits such as "Lady Marmalade" and "You Turn Me On."
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Several artists released some of their most acclaimed albums on this day:
- 2001: T.I. released his debut album, I'm Serious, through Arista Records. Featuring guest appearances from Pharrell Williams, Lil Jon, Bone Crusher, and Too Short, it peaked at No. 98 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 27 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2001: Bubba Sparxxx dropped his debut album, Dark Days, Bright Nights. It charted at No. 3 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
- 2012: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's debut album, The Heist, was released. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and won Best Rap Album at the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The album also produced two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1's: "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us."
- 2012: Machine Gun Kelly dropped his debut album, Lace Up. Executive produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs, it debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, with 57,000 copies sold in its first week.
- 2015: The Game released his sixth album, The Documentary 2. With features from Drake, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, and Future, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.
- 2020: Headie One dropped his debut album, Edna. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Albums chart and at No. 2 on the U.K. R&B Albums chart. Noisey ranked the album No. 4 on its 100 Best Albums of 2020 list.
Cultural Milestones
Oct. 9 has heralded landmark cultural moments in R&B and hip-hop:
- 1961: Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack" started a two-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100. Widely considered one of his signature songs, it won Charles the award for Best R&B Performance at the 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. It has also been featured on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
- 2007: Flo Rida's biggest hit, Low (featuring T-Pain), dropped. Released as the first single from his debut album, Mail on Sunday, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks and turned Flo Rida from a national celebrity to a global rap star.
Oct. 9 remains a nostalgic date for R&B and hip-hop fans. This day not only marks the birthday of two prominent figures in these genres but has also welcomed the release of numerous game-changing albums.
