This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: September 29

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1980: Kurtis Blow’s self-titled debut album was released. Its most successful single, “The Breaks,” peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 71 on its list of The Greatest 80 Albums of 1980.
• 1992: Compton’s Most Wanted released their third album, Music to Driveby, featuring the singles “Hood Took Me Under” and “Def Wish II.” The project went to No. 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 66 on the Billboard 200.
• 1998: Long Beach rapper Bad Azz dropped his debut album, Word on tha Streets, through Priority Records. Featuring guest performances from the Lady of Rage, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, and Outlawz, it peaked at No. 32 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and hit No. 182 on the Billboard 200. 
• 1998: Brooklyn-hailing hip-hop duo Black Star, comprising Talib Kweli and Mos Def, released their debut album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. It spawned the singles “Definition” and “Respiration,” which peaked at No. 60 and No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The album itself hit No. 53 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 1998: Jay-Z’s seminal third album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life was released. It was his first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a position it held for five consecutive weeks. It also bagged the rapper the Best Rap Album award at the 41st GRAMMY Awards.
• 1998: Outkast dropped their third album, Aquemini. With features from Erykah Badu, Raekwon, and George Clinton, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It’s widely considered the duo’s magnum opus and was ranked No. 49 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020.
• 1998: A Tribe Called Quest released their fifth album, The Love Movement. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and received a Gold certification from the RIAA in November 1998 after selling 500,000 units.
• 2009: Ghostface Killa released his eighth album, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City. It peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart.
• 2009: Skyzoo launched his debut album, The Salvation, through Duck Down Music and Jamla Records. The album reached No. 126 on the Billboard 200 and No. 16 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.
• 2017: A Boogie wit da Hoodie dropped his debut album, The Bigger Artist. His third project to chart on the Billboard 200, it debuted at No. 4, selling 67,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
• 2017: Smokepurpp dropped his debut commercial mixtape, Deadstar, featuring the moderate hit “Audi.” It peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Cultural Milestones

• 1968: Diana Ross and the Supremes debuted “Love Child” on the season premiere of The Ed Sullivan Show. The single, officially released the following day, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became the group’s best-selling hit after “Baby Love” and “Someday We’ll Be Together.”
• 1969: DeVante Swing (real name Donald Earle DeGrate Jr.) was born in Hampton, Virginia. He shot to international fame in the early 90s as a founding member of the influential R&B group Jodeci, serving as its main songwriter and producer. The group’s debut album, Forever My Lady (1991), hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and produced the R&B number-one singles “Forever My Lady,” “Come and Talk to Me,” and “Stay.”
• 1973: R&B and pop singer Debelah Morgan was born. She is best known for her 2000 hit “Dance with Me,” which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the UK Hip-Hop/R&B Singles Chart. The track was released for her similarly titled third album, which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. 
• 2003: DMX made a guest appearance on an episode of the sitcom Eve, starring fellow rap veteran Eve. The multi-platinum-selling rapper was cast as Xenon, considered the “best tattoo artist in Miami.”
• 2021: Eminem opened his first permanent restaurant, Mom’s Spaghetti, referencing a line from his 2002 hit single, “Lose Yourself.” The rapper made a surprise appearance at the grand opening, serving the first customers and taking photos.

Notable Recordings and Performances  

• 1998: Brand Nubian dropped their fourth album, Foundation, through Arista Records. With features from Loon, Common, and Busta Rhymes, the album went to No. 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 59 on the Billboard 200. 
• 1998: Gangsta Boo released her debut solo album, Enquiring Minds, which produced the singles “Where Dem Dollas At” and “Nasty Trick.” Featuring collaborations with Project Pat, Juicy J, DJ Paul, and Hussein Fatal, it peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 2009: Mack 10 dropped his eighth solo album, Soft White, which saw collaborations with J. Holiday, Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Akon. It went to No. 141 on the Billboard 200 and No. 21 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.