This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: August 3
August 3 has witnessed many transformative events in hip-hop and R&B. The American rapper Key Glock, a rising star in contemporary hip-hop, was born on this day in 1997. His 2020 debut…
August 3 has witnessed many transformative events in hip-hop and R&B. The American rapper Key Glock, a rising star in contemporary hip-hop, was born on this day in 1997. His 2020 debut album, Yellow Tape, peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold. Its follow-up, Yellow Tape 2, was released in 2021, reaching No. 7 on the chart and achieving his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with “Proud.” He shares a birthday with the rapper DC The Don, who was born in 1999. His best-known singles include “Everything 1k,” “Mood,” and “Keep It on the Low.”
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Many influential hip-hop and R&B artists released some of their best works on this day, including:
- 1993: Kris Kross dropped their sophomore album, Da Bomb. Released just a year after their breakthrough debut album, Totally Krossed Out, it reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2010: Bun B released his third album, Trill OG. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and achieved No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2018: YG dropped his third album, Stay Dangerous, featuring a star-studded list of guest appearances that included A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Quavo, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Big Sean, and Nicki Minaj. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2018: Mac Miller's fifth album, Swimming, was released just over a month before the star's untimely death. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Cultural Milestones
These career milestones occurred on August 3:
- 1963: The Tymes scored a U.S. number-one hit with “So Much in Love.” It was the group's first hit, and it stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and peaked at No. 4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
- 1973: Stevie Wonder released his sixteenth studio album, Innervisions, through Motown's Tamla imprint. This album won Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording, Album of the Year at the 16th Annual GRAMMY Awards, is featured on many Greatest Albums of All Time lists, and was ranked #34 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
- 2018: Travis Scott's acclaimed third album Astroworld came out, becoming the rapper's second number-one album in the U.S. and remarkably charting all 17 tracks on the Billboard Hot 100, with the highest entry being “Sicko Mode.” Rolling Stone ranked Astroworld #6 on their 50 Best Albums of 2018 list
From breakthrough album releases to chart success, August 3 is marked by many celebrated artists accomplishing impressive milestones. That's why it's among the most memorable dates in hip-hop and R&B music history.
