This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: October 14
Oct. 14 is a significant date in hip-hop and R&B for many reasons. It’s Usher’s birthday, born in 1978. He’s one of the best-selling artists in history, with over 100…
Oct. 14 is a significant date in hip-hop and R&B for many reasons. It's Usher's birthday, born in 1978. He's one of the best-selling artists in history, with over 100 million records sold worldwide and among the most awarded. His long list of accolades includes eight GRAMMY Awards, 12 Soul Train Music Awards, and 18 Billboard Music Awards. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Usher shares his birthday with Shaggy 2 Dope, born in 1974. He's best known as one-half of Insane Clown Posse, alongside Violent J. Known for their horrorcore style of hip-hop, the duo has released 17 albums, three of which have been certified Gold and two Platinum.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
This day witnessed the release of several critically acclaimed R&B and hip-hop albums:
- 1997: LL Cool J dropped his seventh album, Phenomenon, via Def Jam Records. Executive produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, it debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
- 2014: The Game released his second compilation album, Blood Moon: Year Of The Wolf, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2014: Hoodie Allen's debut album, People Keep Talking, dropped. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 8 and peaked at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2016: The Game released his eighth album, 1992, featuring Jason Derulo and Jeremih. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and Independent Albums charts.
- 2022: Lil Baby's third album, It's Only Me, came out. Featuring guest appearances from Young Thug, Future, Pooh Shiesty, and Jeremih, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
Cultural Milestones
Oct. 14 marked historic moments in hip-hop and R&B:
- 1972: Michael Jackson's "Ben" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first U.S. chart-topper as a solo artist and making Jackson, then 14 years old, the third-youngest solo artist to score a No. 1 single. In 1963, Stevie Wonder achieved the same feat with "Fingertips," aged just 13 years old, and in 1971, Donny Osmond, who was a few months away from his 14th birthday, topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Go Away Little Girl."
- 2004: The Race to the Polls concert was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Hosted by Funkmaster Flex and Doug E. Fresh, the event aimed to raise voter awareness among young people. Public Enemy, Ludacris, Mase, Lil' Kim, and Foxy Brown were among the hip-hop acts that performed.
It's easy to see why Oct. 14 stands out in hip-hop and R&B history. Many acclaimed albums that would come to have a lasting influence on these genres were released on this day, and the King of Pop landed the first of his numerous solo No. 1 singles.
