This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: October 7
Oct. 7 holds special significance for R&B and hip-hop fans. Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Toni Braxton was born on this day in 1967. She has sold more than 70 million…
Oct. 7 holds special significance for R&B and hip-hop fans. Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Toni Braxton was born on this day in 1967. She has sold more than 70 million records over her more than three-decade career, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. Her 1993 self-titled album topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It also earned her three GRAMMY Awards, twice for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and once for Best New Artist.
Braxton shares her birthday with Alesha Dixon, who was born in 1978. She rose to fame as a member of the R&B group Mis-teeq, who had seven U.K. top 10 singles. She has also been a panelist on several shows, including Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent, and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The following artists celebrated significant achievements on Oct. 7:
- 1996: Michael Jackson performed his first solo show in Africa at El Menzah Stadium in Tunis, Tunisia, as part of his HIStory World Tour. While this was his first solo outing on the continent, he had previously performed in Dakar, Senegal, with the Jackson 5.
- 2017: Cardi B's breakout hit "Bodak Yellow" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first solo female rapper to top the chart since Lauryn Hill in 1998 with "Doo Wop (That Thing)." The song earned Diamond status from the Recording Industry Association of America in 2021 for selling more than 10 million copies in the United States and currently holds the record for the highest-certified female rap song of all time.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Several prolific hip-hop and R&B artists dropped gems on this day:
- 1997: Janet Jackson released her sixth album, The Velvet Rope, through Virgin Records. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming her fourth consecutive chart-topping album. In 2020, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the album No. 318 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
- 2003: Ludacris dropped his fourth album, Chicken-n-Beer. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his first album to top the chart. It was certified double-Platinum by the RIAA the following year for selling 2 million copies in the United States.
- 2003: RZA released his third solo album, Birth of a Prince. Featuring contributions from fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, it peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2022: The hip-hop duo Unc & Phew, comprising Quavo and TakeOff, released their only studio album, Only Built for Infinity Links. It debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2022: G Herbo released his fifth album, Survivor's Remorse, under Republic Records. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
Oct. 7 has served as the backdrop to many culture-defining events, including landmark album releases and unique performances, which is why it's such a meaningful date for fans of the hip-hop and R&B genres.
