Becca ✦ R&B Legacy & Heirs

22 years ago today, Alicia Keys released The Diary of Alicia Keys.

The album debuted at No. 1 with 618K first-week sales—the year’s biggest for a female artist—spawned three top-10 singles, sold over 8 million worldwide, and won three Grammys.

30 years ago today, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent 16 weeks at No. 1, the longest run for any song at the time. 🔥

28 years ago on #WorldAIDSDay, Janet Jackson released ‘Together Again’ as the second single from The Velvet Rope.

Originally written as a ballad, it was reworked into an upbeat dance track inspired by Janet’s private loss of a friend to AIDS and a fan letter from a boy who had lost his father.

31 years ago today, Mary J. Blige released My Life — her breakthrough album.

It debuted at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart for eight weeks, peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, delivered hits like ‘Be Happy,’ ‘MJ(ANL),’ and ‘You Bring Me Joy,’ and went 3× Platinum with over 3M sold.

43 years ago today, Michael Jackson dropped Thriller — the best-selling album of all time.

It spent 37 weeks at No. 1, delivered seven Top 10 hits, broke MTV barriers, set new standards for music videos and marketing, won 8 GRAMMYs, and is certified 34× Platinum with 70M+ sold worldwide.

33 years ago today, Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 🔥

Diana Ross performing “The Boss” while dressed as the stem of the Big Apple at the 1979 #MacysParade. 🍎

34 years ago today, Michael Jackson dropped Dangerous — an era.
No.1 in the U.S. and 13 countries, 5 million sold in week one, the best-selling album of 1992, four Hot 100 top-10s, a $100M world tour, and over 32 million copies sold worldwide. A true pop landmark.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Tina Turner — the one and only Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll. No one did it bigger, louder, or better. Forever missed, forever legendary.

33 years ago today, The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner was released in theaters.

The film grossed $411M worldwide, and its soundtrack is the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, selling $45M copies worldwide and winning three major GRAMMYs.

30 years ago today, Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B Singles chart.

The song became the third No. 1 single in Billboard’s history to achieve this, following Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” and Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.”

They made HERstory.

46 years ago today, Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand’s “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the FIRST female collaboration to top the chart.

MTV didn’t just play music — it shaped and documented the culture around it. This era of programming defined a generation.

Released 27 years ago today, Whitney Houston’s My Love Is Your Love sold over 10 million worldwide, earned 4× Platinum in the U.S., topped the European Top 100 for six weeks, delivered five hit singles — including the Oscar-winning “When You Believe” — and launched a major world tour.

33 years ago today, The Bodyguard soundtrack dropped—going Diamond, selling over 1M its first week, winning Album of the Year, and becoming the best-selling soundtrack ever and the best-selling album by a woman in music history.

21 years ago today, Destiny’s Child dropped their final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled. 🤎💫

It surged from #19 to #2 on the Billboard 200, hit #1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop, and delivered four major singles. The album earned five Grammy nods, went triple platinum, and sold over 7 million copies worldwide.

31 years ago today, TLC released CrazySexyCool — a critically acclaimed, 12× Platinum landmark that peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, became the first diamond-certified album by a girl group, and has sold 15M copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album by an American girl group.

37 years ago today, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson released “Smooth Criminal.”

30 years ago today, Arista released the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack — written and produced by Babyface and featuring an all-star lineup led by Whitney Houston.

The album spent 5 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, 10 weeks atop R&B, went 7× platinum, and delivered major hits.

30 years ago today, Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men released “One Sweet Day.” 🔥

25 years ago today, Sade released Lovers Rock — a critically acclaimed album that debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, peaked at #2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and went 3× Platinum in the U.S. (6M+ sold worldwide).

Janet Jackson: sexuality as self-discovery.
Mary J. Blige: vulnerability as strength.
Sade: solitude as resilience.
Beyoncé: pain as power.

47 years ago today, Donna Summer’s disco version of “MacArthur Park” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making this the FIRST time a female artist of the modern era would have a #1 single and album (Live and More) simultaneously on the Billboard Pop charts.

Happy Birthday to the legendary Songbird, the incomparable Minnie Riperton. 🕊️

This moment between Whitney Houston and Monica was something special.

35 years ago today, Whitney Houston released I’m Your Baby Tonight.

Blending dance, R&B, & new jack swing, the album showcased a bold new sound & attitude. It reached #3 on the Billboard 200, topped the R&B chart for 8 weeks, went 4× Platinum in the U.S., & sold over 10M WW—a timeless classic.

52 years ago today, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, popularized the robot when he performed it for the first time on Soul Train during a Jackson 5 performance of “Dancing Machine!”

Brandy was that girl — at the peak of her music career, she was acting alongside legends. First with Whitney Houston in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997), then with Diana Ross in Double Platinum (1999). Iconic era. ✨

26 years ago today, Mariah Carey released Rainbow. 🌈

- Spawned 5 singles, including 2 #1 hits.
-“Heartbreaker” became her 14th Billboard Hot 100 #1.
- Praised for blending R&B and hip-hop.
- Debuted at #2 on Billboard 200 (323K first week).
- Certified 3× Platinum in the U.S.
- Sold ~8M copies WW.