This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: July 16
July 16 is a memorable day in hip-hop and R&B because of various events that have impacted the industry. On this date in 2013, Broadcast Music, Inc., a music rights…
July 16 is a memorable day in hip-hop and R&B because of various events that have impacted the industry. On this date in 2013, Broadcast Music, Inc., a music rights management company, announced it would honor the founders of Cash Money Records, Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. The brothers received the BMI Icon Award at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held in August the same year. A number of hip-hop and R&B artists also mark their birthdays on July 16, including William Bell, Daryl Mitchell, C. Tangana, and Wizkid.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Multiple artists have released new tracks on July 16, growing their careers and expanding their pools of fans:
- 1991: Compton's Most Wanted dropped Straight Checkn 'Em, their second studio album. Exploring themes such as street life and sexism, it resonated with many hip-hop lovers.
- 1993: Insane Clown Posse, a Detroit hip-hop group formed in the late 1980s, released Beverly Kills 50187, their first EP. At the time, their goal was to satisfy their fans and inspire loyalty before they dropped their next album, Ringmaster.
- 2021: Republic Records joined hands with American talent manager Steven Victor to release Faith. This was the late Pop Smoke's second posthumous studio album. Like the singer's first posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, it peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200.
- 2021: Willow Smith released Lately I Feel Everything, her fourth solo studio album. Unlike her debut album, Ardipithecus, which explored R&B, this collection leaned toward indie rock and pop-funk. The single "transparentsoul," from Lately I Feel Everything, reached No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Here are some memorable recordings and performances that happened on July 16:
- 1959: The Coasters recorded "Poison Ivy." Despite being a rock and roll song, it topped the R&B chart.
- 2024: Xscape and SWV owned the stage at Lakewood Amphitheatre during The Queens of R&B Tour. The series of concerts celebrated the singers' legacy and enabled them to perform in 30 cities across North America.
- 2024: Missy Elliott delivered an unforgettable performance at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. She was on her first headlining tour, Out of This World — The Missy Elliot Experience.
Industry Changes and Challenges
While the music industry lost one of the greatest hip-hop artists on July 16, others found themselves on the wrong side of the law:
- 2015: Rapper Rico Richie was nabbed in Georgia for drugs and gun possession. When the police found him, they were looking into Young Thug. The "Uncle M" singer, who is now banned in Atlanta, was arrested on July 15 for threatening a mall security guard.
- 2021: Biz Markie died aged 57. He had been battling diabetes for about a decade. In 2023, All Up in the Biz, a documentary celebrating the hip-hop pioneer's life and legacy, was released on Paramount+.
With everything that has gone down on July 16, this day is unforgettable for many hip-hop and R&B enthusiasts.
