retrospective

revisiting some major August music anniversaries

today (Aug. 20) is a glorious day. it’s the 5th anniversary of Frank Ocean’s remarkable second album Blonde. i remember where i was when this album dropped — i had just returned from a family vacation to Florida celebrating my mom’s birthday. i quickly fell in love with Blonde and til this day, it’s an album i could play on repeat (minus skipping the voiceovers, sorry not sorry to “Be Yourself” and “Facebook Story”).

today is also the first day that Aaliyah’s second album, One in a Million, appeared on streaming services after years of urging by fans. this release comes just one week ahead of the album’s 25th anniversary. prior to this announcement, i was really concerned that Aaliyah’s music would get lost to the ether, but luckily for me, i had already received this CD as a gift just a couple months back (i even featured “If Your Girl Only Knew” on the mix deep cuts vol. 2). i’m honestly just waiting for her self-titled album to come to Apple Music. i probably have this one somewhere on my old school Xbox, but there’s no way to get the music off that device.

as i reflect on these music milestones, i’m reminded of just how eventful August has been in terms of music anniversaries. here are a few that matter to me in chronological order (up to today’s date). hope you enjoy the following media playlist!

8/1: MTV launches in 1981.

8/2: the band Mr. Twin Sister shares their self-titled album in 2014. this coincided with them changing their name from Twin Sister for legal reasons.

8/3: Travis Scott’s long-awaited third album Astroworld was released in 2018.

8/4: Adult Jazz debuts Gist Is (2014).

8/6 in 2001, N.E.R.D. debuts their influential first album In Search Of… it was first released in Europe on this day. the 2001 version is more electronic, compared to the version that was released worldwide in March 2002.

8/7 8701, Usher’s second album, with standout singles like “U Don’t Have to Call” and “U Remind Me” was released on this day 20 years ago. i didn’t realize until the anniversary that the name of the album coincides with its release date.

8/8 Kala, the second studio album from Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. was released. this album is one of the defining musical moments of my adolescence.

8/9 the late powerhouse singer Whitney Houston was born on this day in 1963. 31 years later, Biggie releases the hip-hop staple “Juicy.” 

8/10 the video for “Peso” by A$AP Rocky was released in 2011, serving as a cultural reset. to date, it was over 65 million views on YouTube.

8/11 this one’s for hip-hop: in 1973, DJ Kool Herc throws a back-to-school party in the Bronx that has now been associated with being the birth of hip-hop. three years prior, A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad was born; he’s one of the most prominent hip-hop producers of all time. the innovative rapper Tierra Whack was also born on this day in 1995 — need i say more?

8/13 Deniece Williams debuts with This is Niecy, featuring one of my favorite songs of all time, “Free” (1976).

8/14 2 Chainz released Based on a T.R.U. Story in 2012 and every year since, i’ve made it a tradition to listen to “Birthday Song” on my birthday. The xx also released their superb debut album xx on this day in 2009.

8/19 Angel Deradoorian (known professionally by her surname) debuts her enchanting first album The Expanding Flower Planet in Japan. it was released worldwide two days later. one of my previous online usernames was violet-minded, based on her song of the same name.