This Week in Music History
We take a look back at unforgettable moments that happened during the first few days of February.
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This Week in Music History - Beyoncé's record-breaking Grammy night, 50 Cent's <em>Get Rich or Die Tryin'</em> and Janet Jackson' Nipplegate all happened during the same week. In celebration of Black History Month, we take a look at other memorable moments that took place during the first week in February.
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Stuff of Legend - Bob Marley was born in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica, on Feb. 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 the age of 36. Marley stands with Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Elvis Presley as one of music’s highest-earning dead celebrities.
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Funkdafied - Funk master Rick James was born on Feb. 1, 1948. Over the course of his 20-plus year career, he released several gold and platinum albums, produced hits for Teena Marie and Mary Jane Girls and became one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop. James died of a heart attack in 2004. He was 56.
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Off the Wall - Michael Jackson released “Off the Wall,” the title track from the first of his four full-length collaborations with legendary producer Quincy Jones, on Feb. 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 Control on Feb. 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.
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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 on Feb. 7, 1995. He was later released on appeal.
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Slippery Slope - Former Milli Vanilli band member Rob Pilatus was hospitalized in Hollywood after being hit over the head with a baseball bat on Feb. 4, 1996. Pilatus was attempting to steal the assailant’s car. He died of an overdose two years later.
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Gone Too Soon - Legendary Bronx lyricist Big Pun died of a heart attack and respiratory failure on Feb. 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 on Feb. 4, 2003. The LP sold 872,000 copies in only four days—making it the best-selling first week for a debut album. Snoop Dogg’s <em>Doggystyle</em> previously held the record with 802,858 units sold in one week.
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Seven-Second Delay - On Feb. 1st, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show performance instantly went from PG to racy when JT accidentally ripped part of JJ’s shirt off during a medley of their hits. The wardrobe malfunction led to the FCC fining CBS an unprecedented $550,000 and prompted certain networks to enforce delays for live broadcasts.
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