Image via Complex Original
Today is June 18, 2013, the ballyhooed release day for three highly anticipated albums: Kanye West's Yeezus, J. Cole's Born Sinner, and Mac Miller's Watching Movies With the Sound Off. The competition is a bit uneven—Kanye is predicted, predictably, to walk away with the week. But it got us thinking about other legendary sales battles in hip-hop history.
Which in turn made us think about how different release dates are now. This week's Twitter anticipation was very different from unwrapping your Aquemini and Hard Knock Life CDs back on September 29, 1998.
For those of you who just steal music, or download it from iTunes, back in the day, buying a CD involved a laborious process of removing plastic wrap and carefully peeling away a sticker that, if you weren't careful, could scar your CD case with sticker-glue for the rest of time.
What was it really like on some of history's more epic release dates? Just in time for June 18, we've got 18 of history's most legendary release dates, and give you a picture of what was going on at that time.
These are Great Days In Rap Album Release History.
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EPMD's Unfinished Business & Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique both released on July 25, 1989.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Toy Soldiers" by Martika
No. 1 Movie In America: Lethal Weapon 2
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Greg Jefferies
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Captain Joseph Hazelwood (of the Exxon Valdez)
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Russia House by John le Carre
Ice-T's Power & Eazy-E's Eazy-Duz-It both released on September 13, 1988.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
No. 1 Movie In America: Dead Ringers
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Bernie Kosar
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Gridlock"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy
LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out & Too Short's Short Dog's in the House both released on August 27, 1990.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey
No. 1 Movie In America: Darkman
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Troy Aikman
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Talk of War"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Memories of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon
Naughty By Nature's Naughty by Nature & Nice & Smooth's Ain't a Damn Thing Changed both released September 3, 1991.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You" by Bryan Adams
No. 1 Movie In America: Dead Again
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: John Daly
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Boris Yeltsin
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy
Digital Underground's This Is an EP Release & Geto Boys' We Can't Be Stopped both released on July 1, 1991.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Rush Rush" by Paul Abdul
No. 1 Movie In America: Naken Gun 2 1/2
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Mike Tyson
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Cocaine Inc.: The New Drug Kings"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Kitchen's God's Wife by Amy Tan
The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde & Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's Live and Let Die both released on November 24, 1992.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "How Do You Talk to an Angel" by The Heights
No. 1 Movie In America: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Riddick Bowe
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "God And Women: A Second Reformation Sweeps Christianity"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Mixed Blessings by Danielle Steel
Wu-Tang Clan's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) & A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders both released on November 9, 1993.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) by Meat Loaf
No. 1 Movie In America: Nightmare Before Christmas
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Alonzo Mourning
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Cloning Humans"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Slow Waltz In Cedar Bind by Robert James Waller
Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity & KRS-One's Return of the Boom Bap both released on September 28, 1993.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey
No. 1 Movie In America: The Good Son
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Ron Gant
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Attack of The Video Games"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
The Fugees' The Score & 2Pac's All Eyez on Me both released on February 13, 1996.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
No. 1 Movie In America: Broken Arrow
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Magic Johnson
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Magic Johnson
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Primary Colors by Anonymous
Foxy Brown's Ill Na Na, DJ Shadow's Endtroducing....., and Mobb Deep's Hell on Earth all released on November 19, 1996.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "No Diggity" by Blackstreet f/ Dr. Dre
No. 1 Movie In America: Space Jam
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Evander Holyfield
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Bill Clinton
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Eminem's The Slim Shady LP & The Roots' Things Fall Apart both released on February 23, 1999.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Angel of Mine" by Monica
No. 1 Movie In America: Message In A Bottle
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Elton Brand
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "How The Monica Lewinsky Scandal Was Good For America"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Testament by John Grisham
OutKast's Aquemini & Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life both released September 29, 1998.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
No. 1 Movie In America: Rush Hour
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Brett Favre
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "A Stinking Mess: Is Impeachment the Only Way Out?"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
M.O.P.'s Warriorz & Ja Rule's Rule 3:36 both released on October 10, 2000.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Music" by Madonna
No. 1 Movie In America: Meet the Parents
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Kurt Warner
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "The Abortion Pill"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
Ludacris' Back for the First Time & Reflection Eternal's Train of Thought October 17, 2000.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" by Christina Aguilera
No. 1 Movie In America: Meet the Parents
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Jim Edmonds
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Slobodan Milosevic
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
OutKast's Stankonia, Jay-Z's The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, Binary Star's Masters Of The Universe all released on October 31, 2000.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" by Christina Aguilera
No. 1 Movie In America: Meet the Parents
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Darius Miles
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "Early Puberty"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell
Jay-Z's The Blueprint & Fabolous' Ghetto Fabolous both released on September 11, 2001.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez f/ Fat Joe
No. 1 Movie In America: The Musketeer
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Roger Clemens
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Colin Powell
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler
2Pac's Resurrection, Jay-Z's The Black Album, & G-Unit's Beg for Mercy are all released on November 14, 2003
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Baby Boy" by Beyonce f/ Sean Paul
No. 1 Movie In America: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Josh Beckett & the Florida Marlins
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: Russell Crowe
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Kanye West's Graduation & 50 Cent's Curtis both released on September 11, 2007.
No. 1 Song On Billboard On Hot 100: "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
No. 1 Movie In America: 3:10 to Yuma
On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated: Dexter Jackson
On The Cover Of Time Magazine: "The Case for National Service"
No. 1 Book On The New York Times Best Sellers List: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini