This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: October 22
Oct. 22 is an extraordinary date in hip-hop and R&B history. It’s the birthday of 21 Savage, who was born on this day in 1992. He first gained attention with…
Oct. 22 is an extraordinary date in hip-hop and R&B history. It's the birthday of 21 Savage, who was born on this day in 1992. He first gained attention with the 2016 collaborative EP Savage Mode with Metro Boomin, which peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. The project's lead single, "X," featuring Future, reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first top 40 single on the chart. The rapper's debut studio album, Issa Album, released the following year, peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
Also born on this day is Roddy Ricch, who was born in 1998. His 2019 album Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 and held the top spot for four nonconsecutive weeks. It also spawned the hit "The Box," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 consecutive weeks.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The following hip-hop and R&B artists celebrated significant achievements on Oct. 22:
- 1966: The Supremes' A' Go-Go knocked The Beatles' Revolver from the top spot on the Billboard 200, becoming the first album by an all-female group to reach No. 1 on the chart. The album also went to the top of the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and U.K. R&B Albums charts.
- 1999: The four-time GRAMMY-winning Motown act The Temptations earned their first Recording Industry Association of America Platinum certification for their 56th album, Phoenix Rising. The album had moderate chart success, peaking at No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Many influential hip-hop and R&B projects were released on this day:
- 1996: Public Enemy's Chuck D dropped his debut solo album, Autobiography of Mistachuck. It peaked at No. 190 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2002: Field Mob released their second album, From Tha Roota To Tha Toota, under Interscope Records. It reached No. 33 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2012: Kendrick Lamar's second album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released. With hits such as "B***h Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Swimming Pools (Drank)," it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 1 on their list of the 500 Greatest Concept Albums of All Time in 2022.
- 2013: DJ Khaled dropped his seventh album, Suffering From Success. Supported by the singles "No New Friends" and "I Wanna Be With You," it debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2021: Wale released his seventh album, Folarin II, featuring guest artists Rick Ross, J. Cole, Yella Beezy, and Chris Brown. It debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Oct. 22 is a truly memorable day in hip-hop and R&B, marked by the release of many critically praised albums and the rise of two celebrated Motown groups to new levels of success.
