This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: October 11
Oct. 11 is a pivotal date in hip-hop and R&B. It’s Cardi B’s birthday, who was born in 1992. She first garnered attention with her 2017 breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow,”…
Oct. 11 is a pivotal date in hip-hop and R&B. It's Cardi B's birthday, who was born in 1992. She first garnered attention with her 2017 breakout hit, "Bodak Yellow," topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and becoming the second single by a female solo rapper to top the chart. She has had the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 for any female rapper and is also the highest-certified female rapper.
MC Lyte was also born on this day in 1970. She was the first female solo rapper to receive a Gold certification with her 1993 single "Ruffneck." In 2014, she became the first female hip-hop artist to perform at the White House.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Numerous genre-defining records have been released on this day, including:
- 2005: Warren G dropped his fifth album, In the Mid-Nite Hour. Featuring collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and B-Real, it peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 200.
- 2011: DJ Drama released his third album, Third Power, featuring Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Pusha-T, Young Jeezy, Fabolous, and Gucci Mane. The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2019: YoungBoy Never Broke Again released AI YoungBoy 2, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was his first release to do so. Six of its fifteen tracks also entered the Billboard Hot 100.
- 2019: Wale dropped his sixth album, Wow… That's Crazy. It debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, becoming his fourth Top 10 album in the U.S. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 2021.
- 2024: GloRilla released her debut album, Glorious. It debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and was the top-selling female rap album of the year.
Cultural Milestones
These culture-shaping moments in R&B and hip-hop happened on Oct. 11:
- 1986: Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You" started a two-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was her first U.S. No. 1 single. Pitchfork ranked the song #48 on their list of The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s.
- 2011: Rihanna was named the "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine. She remains the only musician to be awarded the title, which has previously been given to film stars including Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, and Emilia Clarke.
- 2024: The animated biographical documentary film, PIECE BY PIECE, was released. The animated film follows the life and work of Pharrell Williams from a LEGO animation perspective, featuring the voices of Jay-Z, Timbaland, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Busta Rhymes.
Oct. 11 has been one of hip-hop and R&B's most consequential dates. This day has welcomed the release of seminal records that continue to shape these genres. It also saw prominent artists set new career records on the charts and in mainstream media.
