This Week in History
See the events that happened this week in history.
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This Week in History - Beyoncé's record-breaking Grammy night, 50 Cent's <em>Get Rich or Die Tryin'</em> and Janet Jackson' nipplegate all happened on the same week. In celebration of Black History Month, we take a historical look at the first week in February.
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Stuff of Legend - Bob Marley was born in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica February 6, 1945. Though his time was cut short, he remains one of music’s most influential figures to this day. He died of cancer at 36. He stands among Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Elvis Presley as one music’s highest-earning dead celebrities.
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Funkdafied - Funk master Rick James was born February 1st 1948. Over the course of his 20-plus year career, he released several gold and platinum albums, produced hits for Teena Marie and became one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop. James died of a heart attack at the age of 56 in 2004.
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On the Wall - Michael Jackson released “Off the Wall,” the title track from the first of four collaborations with legendary producer Quincy Jones, February 2, 1980. The single peaked at no.10 on the charts.
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Control - After two false starts, Janet Jackson became a superstar in her own right when she released <em>Control</em> February 4, 1986. The album went on to sell 5 million copies and produced five Top 10 singles, including “When I Think of You,” Jackson’s first no.1 single.
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Locked Up - Tupac Shakur was sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison on sexual abuse charges February 7,1995. He was later released on appeal.
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Hospitalized - Former Milli Vanelli band member Rob Pilatus was hospitalized after being hit over the head with a baseball bat February 4, 1996 in Hollywood. Pilatus was attempting to steal the assailant’s car. He died of an overdose two years later.
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Gone Too Soon - The legendary Bronx lyricist died of a heart attack and respiratory failure February 7, 2000. He was 28. Reports say he was 698 pounds at the time of his death.
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A Star Is Born - 50 Cent made history when his classic debut, <em>Get Rich or Die Tryin’</em> hit stores February 4, 2003. The LP went on to sell 872,000 copies— making it the best-selling first week for a debut album. Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle previously held the record with 802,858 units sold in one week.
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7 Second Delay - Feburary 1st, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show performance instantly went from PG to racy when JT accidentally ripped JJ’s clothes during a medley of their hits. The wardrobe malfunction led to the FCC fining CBS an unprecedented $550,000. The controversy caused certain networks to enforce delays for live broadcasts.
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No.1 - Usher’s “Yea” featuring Ludacris dropped February 3, 2004. Marking Usher’s fourth no.1 single, the song spent 10 weeks at no.1 and set the table for Ush’s <em>Confessions</em> to sell 1 million records in its first week. The album has sold over 10 million copies to date domestically.
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Suicidal Thoughts - Singer Houston of “I Like That” fame stunned the music world when word spread that he attempted to jump out of his hotel room window on the 13th floor February 2, 2005. According to reports, he was under the influence of PCP at the time. He was reportedly moved to a lower floor and locked in his room where he gouged his own eye out.
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Violence on Set - Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, was gunned down outside the set of his video shoot for “Touch It” in Brooklyn on February 5, 2006. The killing remains unsolved.
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Ladies Night - Beyoncé broke her own record by winning six Grammys in one night January 31, 2010. She’d previously won five Grammys in 2004— tying a record shared with Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Alisson Krauss and Lauryn Hill.