This Day in Hip-Hop and R&B History: April 4

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1995: American R&B singer Montell Jordan released his debut studio album, This Is How We Do It. It featured the single of the same name, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at No. 1 on the R&B singles chart for seven weeks.
• 2000: Big Pun released his second and final album, Yeeeah Baby, which featured performances from M.O.P., Fat Joe, Tony Sunshine, and Cuban Link. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3, with 179,000 copies sold in its opening week. The project also went to No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. 
• 2000: Rah Digga dropped her debut album, Dirty Harriet, through Flipmode and Elektra Records. It peaked at No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 18 on the Billboard 200. 
• 2006: American rapper Bubba Sparxxx dropped his third studio album, The Charm, through Purple Ribbon Records. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
• 2018: American rapper Cardi B released the single "Drip" from her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. The groovy trap song featuring the Atlanta rap trio Migos peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cultural Milestones

• 1973: Kelly Price was born in Queens, New York. She began her music career as a backing singer for Mariah Carey, performing backing vocals on the chart-topping hits “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Fantasy.” She would go on to pursue a moderately successful solo career, releasing her debut album, Soul of a Woman, in 1998. The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while its lead single, “Friend of Mine,” reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for five weeks. 
• 1974: Andre “Dre” Dalyrimple was born. He is a member of the R&B vocal group Soul For Real, best known for their certified hits “Every Little Thing I Do” and “Candy Rain,” which reached No. 17 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. 
• 2005: Manhattan-hailing rapper Lil Mabu was born. He shot to the limelight with his 2023 hit “Mathematical Disrespect,” from his second mixtape, Young Genius, which peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. 
• 2008: American R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles and rap icon Jay-Z tied the knot in an intimate ceremony held at the latter's penthouse in Manhattan, New York. The event was attended by some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Knowles' former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, as well as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and his then-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
• 2015: Kendrick Lamar's third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his first number one album in the US. The album held the top spot for two consecutive weeks and spent over 160 weeks on the chart.  
• 2017: American rap superstar and producer Kanye West made music history with his studio album The Life of Pablo, which became the first streaming-only album to go Platinum. The Billboard-topping album was the rapper's eighth to achieve a Platinum certification or higher.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2005: The son of music icon Michael Jackson's maid testified against the star during the singer's child molestation trial. He claimed the star abused him on three occasions, once gave him a $100 bill after an encounter and asked him not to tell his mother about the money.
• 2022: Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was taken into police custody for violating protective orders involving his former girlfriend and rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Back in 2020, Lanez was charged with one count of assault with a firearm after he allegedly shot Megan in the foot.