Lil Wayne's I Am Not A Human Being II Album Anniversary

After taking a rest from releasing an album, Weezy returned in 2013 with the second installment of "I Am Not a Human Being". With "I Am Not a Human Being II", he could easily bow at No. 1 on Hot 200 by selling between 190,000 to 210,000 copies in its first week based on one-day estimates. 

Ahead of the album release, he caused a buzz on the web when he was hospitalized for seizures. Rumors suggested he was on drugs but he explained later that he was epileptic who had suffered multiple seizures before without public knowing about it.

Read more about Lil Wayne here.

M.I.A.'s Arular Album Anniversary

She wound up signing a contract with XL, which re-released the single and, eventually, her debut album Arular in 2005. Anticipation for the release was considerable, only heightened by the Piracy Funds Terrorism mixtape she put together with DJ Diplo.

Read more about M.I.A. here.

Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly Album Anniversary

Originally expected to be released on March 23, 2015, his new album To Pimp a Butterfly was released a week early on March 16, 2015 to rave reviews. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart selling 324,000 copies in its first week, and established Spotify's global first-day streaming record (9.6 million). Lamar was later featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, with editor Josh Eells writing he's "arguably the most talented rapper of his generation."

Read more about Kendrick Lamar here.

Gang Starr's Hard to Earn Album Anniversary

Though such forays encouraged speculation that Gang Starr was about to split, the duo belied the critics with a storming return on Hard To Earn. Back to their freestyle, flowing best, it was the second outing for the posse of rappers that Guru had formed into the Gang Starr Foundation: Jeru The Damaja, Big Shug (who was a collaborator with Guru in his early days in Boston), Little Dap and Felachi The Nutcracker.

Read more about Gang Starr here.

La Chat's Drama Queen: Who Want Smoke? Album Anniversary

In 2019, La Chat dropped her seventh studio album, Drama Queen- Who Want Smoke?, under Dime-A-Dozen Entertainment.

Read more about La Chat here.

Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele Album Anniversary

He would return in 2000 with his follow-up to Ironman, Supreme Clientele. "Cherchez LaGhost ", a single off the album, became a minor club hit, and the sentimental "Child's Play " brought numerous comparisons with Slick Rick.

Read more about Ghostface Killah here.

Dead Prez's Lets Get Free Album Anniversary

Alfred and Gavin spent the next few years mastering the recording process and in 2000 released their debut full-length, Let’s Get Free, to almost universal acclaim. Much of the praise came on the strength of ‘It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop’, which welded their common sense critiques of capitalist society to a southern jeep-beat better outfitted to deliver them to the masses. Tracks such as ‘Mind Sex’ and ‘Be Healthy’ found them expanding their philosophical as well as their sonic repertoire, employing Latin guitar and spoken word interludes to promote an alternative lifestyle à la the Native Tongues Posse. They even adopted a cautionary, if not counter-revolutionary tone on ‘Animal In Man’, a rap adaptation of George Orwell’s satirical take on the Russian revolution.

Read more about Dead Prez here.

The Fugees' Blunted on Reality Album Anniversary

The group signed a record deal, changed their name (short for Refugees, an allusion to their Caribbean roots) and, a year later, finished recording their debut album, Blunted on Reality. 

Because of internal problems at their label, the album was not released until two years later, in 1993. When it was finally issued, Blunted on Reality made little impact on the music landscape. It was largely a collection of overproduced songs that sounded tremendously dated and, at times, downright annoying. The Fugees' concert appearances didn't add much to their reputation either. Their shows featured live instruments, but, embarrassingly, the group cavorted around the stage in color-coordinated outfits, engaging in somewhat goofy routines. Today, the group readily admits that in their youth, they were just happy to have a record deal and were doing whatever the producers told them to do. Indeed, Hill was only 16 when the album was recorded, and Jean, the eldest member, was a scant 21. 

Read more about the Fugees here.

Atmosphere's Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs Album Anniversary

Now touring nationally on a more regular basis (the twenty-one date Ford One Tour brought them to the East Coast for the first time), Slug was able to leave his job at a record store, as well as a second job working overnight shifts at a department store. In 1999, the Rhymesayers-owned record store, The Fifth Element, was opened in Minneapolis. In 2001, the two EPs, Ford and Lucy, were combined and released as an LP titled Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs. Originally intended as a tour-only release, it sold so well that it was later released as an official LP, making it the only Atmosphere album with producers other than Ant. In 2001, Atmosphere made three separate tours across North America and Europe. With Lucy Ford, Atmosphere also finally achieved national distribution through the independent distributor Fat Beats.

Read more about Atmosphere here.

The Coughee Brothaz's Fadanuf Fa Erybody!! Album Anniversary

Their first album, Fadanuf Fa Erybody!! was released on February 1, 1994 under Rap-A-Lot Records. The album is considered by Scarface to be the label's finest release.

Despite much praise, the album was a failure, reaching only #66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Soon after, Devin would join Scarface's protege group Facemob before going solo in 1998. His ties with the Odd Squad however continued.

Read more about the Coughee Brothaz here.

The Lox's We Are The Streets Album Anniversary

In the summer of 1999, the trio found themselves disappointed with the direction of Bad Boy, and the trio wanted to be released from their contract in order to join Ruff Ryders. The Ruff Ryders had always served as The Lox's managers and the group felt like the new label could better represent the hard-core sensibilities which they expressed in their rhymes. Bad Boy was known for its radio friendly dance hits and high priced videos, while the Lox were quickly establishing themselves as hardcore rap artists. The identities clashed — "We just needed to be with a rougher label," said Sheek Louch. "A harder label that fit our image."

The Lox tried all of the legal maneuvering available to be released from their contract with Bad Boy. However, the lawyers and conference calls did not work. At a New York rap concert, the trio sported "Let The LOX Go" T-shirts and sparked a grass roots movement to "Free The Lox." Pressure resultant from the campaign ultimately caused Bad Boy and Puff Daddy to release the trio from their contract. "We really changed the game by doing that," says Styles concerning the contractual drama. "It might take years from now, but other people are gonna do it. We made it so they don't have to be scared to speak up." “We Are The Streets” was the trio’s first album under Ruff Ryders.

Read more about the Lox here.