This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: May 5

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1992: Gang Starr released their third album, Daily Operation, through Chrysalis Records. The project peaked at No. 14 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 65 on the Billboard 200. 
• 1992: Doug E. Fresh dropped Doin' What I Gotta Do, his third album, under MC Hammer's Bust It Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. While it failed to make it to the Billboard 200, it peaked at No. 47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 1998: American rapper Fiend dropped his second album, There's One in Every Family, on No Limit Records, featuring production by Master P and Beats by the Pound. The album performed well commercially, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and reaching No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 2009: American rapper Gucci Mane released his fifth album, Murder Was the Case, via Big Cat Records. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 23 and peaked at No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. 
• 2009: American R&B singer Jason Derulo dropped the single “Whatcha Say,” from his self-titled debut album. The song debuted at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually reaching No. 1 for a week. 
• 2009: Skull Gang launched their self-titled debut album, which would also be the collective's only release. Featuring guest appearances from Jim Jones and Lil Wayne, it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 142 and reached No. 9 on the Top Rap Albums chart. 
• 2009: DJ Paul released his second album, Scale-A-Ton, which featured a sole guest performance from Lord Infamous on “You On't Want It.” The album charted at No. 26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 157 on the Billboard 200.
• 2017: American rapper Russ released his twelfth album, There's Really a Wolf, through Diemon and Columbia Records. It debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and went to No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• 2017: Brother Ali dropped his sixth album, All the Beauty in This Whole Life, through Rhymesayers Entertainment. With features from Idris Phillips, Sa-Roc, and Dem Atlas, it went to No. 125 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart. 
• 2017: Logic released his third album, Everybody, which featured collaborations with J.Cole, Killer Mike, and Khalid. Supported by the singles “Everybody,” “Black Spiderman,” and “1-800-273-8255,” it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his first number one album in the US.
• 2020: Chris Brown and Young Thug released the collaborative mixtape, Slime & B. It spawned the hit single “Go Crazy,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album itself reached No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and No. 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. 
• 2023: Destroy Lonely released his debut album, If Looks Could Kill, via Opium and Interscope Records. It debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200, with 29,000 album-equivalents in its opening week.

Cultural Milestones

• 1942: Barbara Randolph was born in Detroit, Michigan. She briefly sang and recorded with the R&B vocal group, The Platters, before signing with Motown as a solo artist. She would go on to release several moderately successful singles, including “I Got a Feeling” and “Can I Get a Witness.” 
• 1981: British R&B singer Craig David was born in Southampton, Hampshire. He rose to international prominence in 2000 with the release of his debut album, Born to Do It. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums chart, with 225,320 copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling debut album ever by a British male solo act. Its lead single, “Fill Me In,” also debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles chart, making David, then just 18, the youngest British male solo artist to score a number one single.
• 2009: R&B and rock icon Tina Turner closed her 50th Anniversary Tour with a concert at Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. It would be the music superstar's final stage performance of her career. 
• 2015: American teen rapper Silento dropped his debut single, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” sparking a dance craze that quickly went viral on YouTube and amassed over a billion views. The music video was listed as VEVO's second most-watched of all time, while the song itself peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted in 20 other countries.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2014: Beyoncé's sister, Solange, attacked Jay-Z in an elevator the three were riding in after attending the Met Gala. The CCTV footage of the incident, which was leaked on TMZ, shows Solange flinging her leg out to kick Jay-Z, prompting Beyonce to step in between them to shield her husband from further attack. It was widely speculated that the rapper's alleged cheating occasioned the confrontation, with Beyoncé later referencing the incident in the song “Sorry.” 
• 2020: Sweet Pea Atkinson died from a heart attack at the age of 74. He was one of the vocalists for the band Was (Not Was), best known for their 1987 hit “Walk the Dinosaur,” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the UK Singles chart. 
• 2023: Chris Brown and Usher fight at the former's 34th birthday party. It was rumored that the two R&B titans got into an altercation over Teyana Taylor, resulting in Brown and his crew attacking Usher.