This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: April 16

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1966: American R&B and Soul legend Percy Sledge's career-defining hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" was released. The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B Singles chart.
• 1991: Whitney Houston released the single “Miracle” as the third single from her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
• 1993: American rapper Suga-T released her debut album, It's All Good, through Sick Wid It Records. While the album received little attention outside of the Bay area, it spent two weeks on the Top R&B Albums chart, peaking at No. 88.
• 1996: West Coast rap icon Master P dropped his fifth album, Ice Cream Man. The album reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
• 2013: American rapper Kid Cudi released his third album, Indicud, featuring guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Too Short, King Chip, Michael Bolton, and Father John Misty. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 2013: Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge released their first collaborative album, Twelve Reasons to Die. Featuring guest appearances from Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and U-God, it debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and sold 15,000 copies in its first week. 
• 2013: N.O.R.E. released his sixth album, Student of the Game, which featured guest performances from Pharrell, Pusha T, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, and Tech N9ne. It debuted at No. 116 on the Billboard 200, with 4,100 copies sold in its opening week. 
• 2013: Styles P dropped his sixth album, Float, which saw guest features from Raekwon, N.O.R.E., Sheek Louch, and Jadakiss. It debuted at No. 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 124 on the Billboard 200. 
• 2013: Andy Mineo released his debut album, Heroes for Sale, which featured collaborations with Lecrae, Krizz Kaliko, KB, and Trip Lee. It debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 4 on the Top Rap Albums chart.

Cultural Milestones

• 1929: Roy Hamilton was born in Leesburg, Georgia. He achieved commercial success with his recordings of “You'll Never Walk Alone” and “Unchained Melody,” which topped the Billboard R&B chart in 1954 and 1955, respectively.  
• 1993: Chance the Rapper was born in Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered acclaim with his third mixtape, Coloring Book, released in 2016, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It was also the first streaming-only project to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album at the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards, while the single “No Problem” won Best Rap Performance. 
• 2018: Acclaimed Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize in Music for his fourth album, DAMN, which he released the previous year. This historic win marked the first time the prize was awarded to an artist outside the classical or jazz genres.
• 2020: American rap veterans Jim Jones and French Montana finally squashed their historic 15-year-long beef during an Instagram Live interview. The two rappers reflected on their long and strained history and revealed they were working on new music together.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2003: American legendary R&B singer Luther Vandross suffered a stroke that left him confined to a wheelchair. The GRAMMY-winning star never fully recovered from the effects of the stroke and died just two years later.
• 2024: Baton Rouge rapper NBA Young Boy was arrested in Cache County, Utah, on 63 charges, including identity fraud, gun possession, and drug possession. The rapper had been on house arrest for several years, awaiting trial on separate charges at the time.