This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: February 9
Feb. 9 has hosted many monumental events in R&B and hip-hop. Major Harris was born on this date in 1947. While best known for his work with the R&B/soul vocal group the Delphonics,…
Feb. 9 has hosted many monumental events in R&B and hip-hop. Major Harris was born on this date in 1947. While best known for his work with the R&B/soul vocal group the Delphonics, he scored several hits as a solo artist, most notably “Love Won't Let Me Wait” (1975), which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.
Chicago rapper JB Binladen was also born on this day in 1996. His noteworthy songs include “Run But Can't Hide (featuring Bloodhound Lil Jeff),” “DON'T LIKE,” and “Lately (featuring Lil Durk & OTF Lil V).”
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Numerous hit records have been released on this day. They include.
- 1993: Digable Planets dropped their debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Its first single, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” was a massive hit, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The song later won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 36th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
- 1999: MC Breed released his seventh album, It's All Good. Featuring guest appearances from 2Pac, Too $hort, Kurupt, and Pimp C, it peaked at No. 180 on the Billboard 200, also placing at No. 41 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
- 2010: DJ Kay Slay released his third album, More Than Just a DJ. The project featured performances from Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Cam'ron, Ghostface Killah, Tony Yayo, Papoose, and Jim Jones, among others. It went to No. 29 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 133 on the Billboard 200.
Cultural Milestones
Feb. 9 has recorded many important cultural moments in R&B and hip-hop.
- 2018: The Black Panther soundtrack album was released. It featured songs curated or performed by Kendrick Lamar and other prominent hip-hop and R&B stars, including Schoolboy Q, Future, Jay Rock, SZA, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Swae Lee. It won two awards at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Rap Performance for “King's Dead.”
- 2022: Snoop Dogg officially acquired Death Row Records from the MNRK Music Group. This acquisition marked the legendary rapper's return to the label that launched his music career in the 1990s, and under which he released his seminal albums Doggystyle (1993) and Tha Doggfather (1996).
Industry Changes and Challenges
This day has also occasioned tragic losses for the industry.
- 2019: Rising rapper Willie Bo (born Willie McCoy) was shot and killed by police at the age of 20. He was a member of the FBG (Forever Black Gods) rap collective, with tight links to the Chicago drill scene.
- 2025: Odia rapper Juggernaut, whose real name was Abhinav Singh, was found dead in his Bengaluru apartment. He was reported to have died from suicide following harassment from his wife.
It's not hard to see why Feb. 9 remains such a memorable date for R&B and hip-hop fans. It has been marked by the release of several iconic albums and by one of the most game-changing record-label acquisitions in recent years.
