This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: August 9
Aug. 9 has had a marked influence on hip-hop and R&B. American rapper Kurtis Blow was born on this date in 1959. He signed a recording deal with Mercury Records…
Aug. 9 has had a marked influence on hip-hop and R&B. American rapper Kurtis Blow was born on this date in 1959. He signed a recording deal with Mercury Records in 1979 when he was just 20 years old, becoming the first rapper to achieve the feat. He shares his birthday with Whitney Houston, who was born on Aug. 9, 1963. Widely considered one of the greatest female singers of all time, she has sold more than 200 million records worldwide. She's the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Many iconic hip-hop and R&B albums came out on this day:
- 1994: Gravediggaz released their debut album, 6 Feet Deep. Considered a horrorcore classic, it peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200.
- 2011: Ace Hood released his third album, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Its lead single, “Hustle Hard,” peaked at No. 9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album itself debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
- 2011: Royce da 5'9” announced his fifth album, Success Is Certain. With guest appearances from Eminem, Travis Barker, and Joe Budden, it reached No. 25 on the Billboard 200.
- 2019: Trippie Redd released his second album, !, a follow-up to his commercially acclaimed debut album, Life's a Trip. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3 and reached No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Cultural Milestones
Various artists achieved career-defining milestones on Aug. 9:
- 2019: GRAMMY-nominated Rick Ross released his 10th album, Port of Miami 2. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, becoming the rapper's 10th top 10 album in the U.S. It also went to No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2024: Latto released her third album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea. It was her joint-highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 at No. 15 and received a gold certification from the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Aug. 9 has also witnessed tragic and controversial happenings in the hip-hop and R&B world:
- 1993: Lionel Richie finalized his divorce from his first wife, Brenda Harvey, after a marriage that lasted nearly 18 years. His then-mistress, Diane Alexander, became his second wife two years later, and their marriage produced two children.
- 2021: Chucky Thompson died from COVID-19 complications at the age of 53. He was part of Bad Boy Entertainment's in-house team of producers and a frequent collaborator of Sean “Diddy” Combs. He received production credits on Mary J. Blige's second album, My Life (1994), as well as Faith Evans' debut album, Faith (1995).
Aug. 9 will forever remain a poignant date if you're a hip-hop and R&B lover. It's witnessed many groundbreaking moments, including the release of charting albums, the birth of a best-selling music legend, and the untimely deaths of an acclaimed producer.
