This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: April 12
April 12 has witnessed many remarkable developments in hip-hop and R&B. American R&B singer Prentiss Barnes was born on this day in 1925. He was the bass vocalist for The…
April 12 has witnessed many remarkable developments in hip-hop and R&B. American R&B singer Prentiss Barnes was born on this day in 1925. He was the bass vocalist for The Moonglows, best known for hits such as “Ten Commandments of Love” and “Sincerely.” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a member of the group. He is also an inductee of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Here are other memorable events in R&B and hip-hop that are associated with April 12.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Several genre-defining hip-hop and R&B albums came out on this day.
- 1988: Bronx hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions released their second album, By All Means Necessary. It peaked at No. 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 75 on the Billboard 200.
- 1994: Kokane released his sophomore album, Funk Upon a Rhyme, through Ruthless Records. With guest features from Tha Alkoholiks, Above The Law, and Black Hole Of Watts, it reached No. 19 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 56 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2005: Z-Ro released his ninth album, Let the Truth Be Told. Featuring guest performances from Ashanti, Paul Wall, Juvenile, and Trae tha Truth, it went to No. 69 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
- 2011: Atmosphere released their sixth album, The Family Sign, through Rhymesayers Entertainment. The project debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2019: Anderson .Paak released Ventura, his fourth album, which featured the singles “Make It Better” and “King James.” It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and won Best R&B Album at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.
- 2024: Metro Boomin and Future dropped their second collaborative album, We Still Don't Trust You. Like its predecessor, We Don't Trust You, which was released three weeks earlier, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, also reaching the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Cultural Milestones
April 12 has also been marked by memorable cultural moments.
- 1969: The 5th Dimension's “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” began a six-week stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The recording would go on to win Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group at the 12th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
- 2001: Gladys Knight got married to her longtime friend William McDowell in a private ceremony in Santa Monica, California. It was the fourth marriage for Knight, the “Empress of Soul,” who was 57 at the time.
- 2009: R&B star Brian McKnight was fired from the eighth season of the TV series The Celebrity Apprentice. He was eliminated in the seventh episode titled “Protect the Conflict”.
The significance of April 12 in R&B and hip-hop is beyond dispute. In addition to being the release date of influential records, this day also saw one of the most decorated R&B artists in history tie the knot for the fourth time.
