This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: February 10

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From Michael Jackson granting his first interview in 15 years to Kanye West dropping his debut studio album, Feb. 10 is a significant date in hip-hop and R&B history. On this day in 2019, many hip-hop and R&B artists won various categories at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards. Check out these memorable events in hip-hop and R&B that happened on Feb. 10.

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

On Feb. 10, many artists released breakthrough hits and won several accolades at different award ceremonies:

1951: "Somebody's Gotta Go" by Cootie Williams reached No. 1 on the Harlem Hit Parade Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
1967: Aretha Franklin released her career-defining song, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)."
1998: American hip-hop group Wataz released their first and only album, Natural High. While the project received little promotion, it peaked at No. 68 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
2001: Jennifer Lopez's second album, J.Lo, topped the Billboard 200 chart, and her movie, The Wedding Planner, reached No. 1 at the box office the same week.
2004: Kanye West released his debut studio album, The College Dropout, which later won the Best Rap Album at the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2005.
2004: Drag-On dropped his second album, Hell and Back. Featuring guest appearances from DMX, Eve, Jadakiss, and Styles P, it reached No. 47 on the Billboard 200 and cracked the top-ten on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at No. 5.
2007: Pretty Ricky's second studio album, Late Night Special, reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
2008: Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, Prince, Amy Winehouse, and Kanye West won various awards in the Rap/Hip-Hop and R&B categories at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
2008: Graduation by Kanye West won the Best Rap Album at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
2017: Lupe Fiasco released his sixth album, Drogas Light. His first full-length release since leaving Atlantic Records, it debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 11 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
2017: Ces Cru released their sixth and final album, Catastrophic Event Specialists, through Strange Music. With features from label-mates Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9NE, it peaked at No. 150 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the Billboard US Independent Albums chart.
2018: Migos' third studio LP, Culture II, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2019: "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" by Leon Bridges won the Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards.
2023: BigXthaPlug dropped his debut album, Amar, which was titled after his son. Supported by the singles “Safehouse,” “Rap Niggas,” “Texas,” “Primetime,” and “I Know,” it reached No. 97 on the Billboard 200 and No. 40 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Cultural Milestones

Discover more cultural milestones and significant events involving hip-hop/R&B artists on this date:

1937: American R&B singer Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born. She later became the first artist to win Record of the Year at the GRAMMYs for two consecutive years.
1993: Michael Jackson appeared on Oprah's prime-time special and spoke about his skin condition, Vitiligo.
2004: Eminem made a guest appearance on Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, giving Bobby's Brother a voice in a prank call to a restaurant.
2019: H.E.R won Best R&B Album at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards for her 2017-released self-titled compilation album. The songstress also took home the award for Best R&B Performance for “Best Part” with Daniel Caesar.

Notable Recordings and Performances

Feb. 10 also saw notable recordings and performances by famous artists:

2008: Alicia Keys opened the 50th Anniversary of the GRAMMY Awards with Frank Sinatra at the Staples Center, performing "Learnin the Blues."
2019: Childish Gambino's "This Is America" won Record of the Year, Best Music Video, Song of the Year, and Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Industry Changes and Challenges

The hip-hop and R&B industry has faced several changes and challenges on this date, including the following:

1994: Snoop Dogg's performance at Leicester Square's Equinox and British tour ended in controversy, as the hotel he was staying at ousted him due to a murder charge case.
1999: BPI Communications suspended the publication of its Musician magazine.
2006: James Yancey (J Dilla or Jay Dee) died of a heart attack at age 32, days after releasing the album Donuts.
2012: Emerging California rapper, Rolo the Prince (real name Ryan Booth), was tragically killed in a shooting outside Paisano's Market on East Main Street. The rising-star emcee, who was 20 at the time of his killing, appeared in many local mixtapes and was preparing to pursue a degree in musical engineering in college.
2023: South African rapper AKA (born Kiernan Jarryd Forbes) was shot and killed outside a Durban restaurant at the age of 35. He received numerous accolades during his lifetime, including Best Male Artist at the 18th, 21st, and 29th South African Music Awards, Favorite South African Star at the 2019 Kids' Choice Awards, and Best Hip-Hop Artist at the 23rd Metro FM Music Awards.

Feb. 10 remains etched in hip-hop and R&B history thanks to the many events throughout the years, from artists releasing career-defining singles to dropping their debut albums. Stay tuned for more This Day in Hip-Hop & R&B History news.

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Bianca BarrattWriter