This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: January 12
Jan. 12 is an unforgettable date in hip-hop and R&B history. Raekwon, a founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, was born on this day in 1970. The group’s 1993 debut album, Enter…
Jan. 12 is an unforgettable date in hip-hop and R&B history. Raekwon, a founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, was born on this day in 1970. The group's 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 27 on its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It also earned preservation status in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. B Young was also born on this day in 1995. His breakout single "Jumanji" reached No. 13 on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Cultural Milestones
Jan. 12 is remembered for the iconic cultural milestones it has hosted over the years, such as:
- 1959: Motown was started by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records. Over the following decades, it transformed the landscape of popular music, thanks to star acts such as The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. Motown remains the most successful Black-owned independent music label of all time.
- 1968: Diana Ross and The Supremes appeared on an episode of the television series, Tarzan. During the episode, titled "The Convert," the trio played three nuns: Sister Therese (Diana Ross), Sister Ann (Cindy Birdsong), and Sister Martha (Mary Wilson).
Notable Recordings and Performances
Several prominent artists have released records on Jan. 12, including:
- 1999: Keith Murray dropped his third album, It's a Beautiful Thing, through Jive Records. With guest appearances from LL Cool J, Too $hort, Canibus, and Redman, it peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2024: 21 Savage released his third album, american dream, which features guest appearances from Young Thug, Travis Scott, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, and Doja Cat, among others. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and is 21 Savage's fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the U.S.
- 2024: D-Block Europe launched their third album, Rolling Stone. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Albums chart and beat out 21 Savage's american dream and The Vaccines' Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations for the top spot. The album also charted at No. 1 on the U.K. R&B Albums Chart and peaked at No. 2 on the Scottish Albums Chart.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Jan. 12 has also witnessed tragic occurrences in the hip-hop and R&B industry:
- 2000: Richard "Dimples" Fields died from a stroke at the age of 57. He's known for his breakthrough hit, "If It Ain't One Thing...It's Another," which topped the Billboard R&B chart for three weeks.
- 2022: CPO Boss Hogg, born Vince Edwards, died at the age of 58. He was a founding member of the Compton rap group Capital Punishment Organization. The group only dropped one album, To Hell and Black, in 1990.
From chart-topping album releases to iconic TV appearances, Jan. 12 is associated with some memorable hip-hop and R&B moments. Visit this page again tomorrow to discover all the noteworthy events from that day in hip-hop and R&B history.
