Wishing You a Happy Birthday: Celebrities Born in January
When it comes to the beginning of a new year, the news is typically slow. We are not complaining considering that no news, is good news. Let’s kick the new year off with good vibes only. Here is a list of 10 Hip Hop (and hip hop associated) artists who were all born in January.
10. XXXtentacion: Jan 23, 1998
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), widely known as XXXTentacion (often stylized as XXXTENTACION), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Despite his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fanbase with his depression and alienation-themed music throughout his short career. His music spans emo, drill, trap, lo-fi, indie rock, nu-metal, hip hop, R&B, and punk rock. As a leading figure in the emo-rap and SoundCloud rap genres, he gained mainstream attention during the mid-late 2010s.
XXXTentacion was born in Plantation, Florida, but spent most of his childhood in Lauderhill. He began his music career on SoundCloud in 2013 after being released from a juvenile detention center. This is when he employed unusual rap styles and techniques, such as distortion and guitar-backed instrumentals, which drew inspiration from third-wave emo and grunge. In 2014, he formed the underground collective Members Only and became a popular figure in SoundCloud rap, a trap genre that combines elements of lo-fi music and harsh 808s.
XXXTentacion was fatally shot near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on June 18, 2018. Four suspects were arrested after leaving the scene in an SUV after stealing a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 from him.
9. Mac Miller: Jan 13, 1992
“Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm, ’cause he was an angel” – Ariana Grande on the Late Mac Miller in her song “Thank you, Next”
Mac Miller, a rapper and music producer who was only 26 when he died from a reported drug overdose, already had a body of work that will last long after his passing.
Swimming, his fifth studio album, debuted at No 3 on the Billboard charts, making it his fifth consecutive US Top 10 album. Reviewers praised the disc’s confident production and languid musicality, as well as Miller’s ability to confront his own history of addiction in his lyrics while retaining a laconic sense of optimism.
8. R. Kelly: Jan 8, 1967
Mister “Trapped in the Closet”, “My mind’s telling me no, but my body’s telling me yes” because “I don’t see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind” since” It seems like you’re ready” himself, Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an African American singer, songwriter, record producer, and convicted sex offender. R&B and hip-hop owe much to him, earning him nicknames such as “the King of R&B”, “the King of Pop-Soul”, and perhaps most eerily, the “Pied Piper of R&B”.
Kelly is primarily a singer and songwriter, but he has written, produced, and remixed songs, singles, and albums for other artists. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for writing Michael Jackson’s song “You Are Not Alone” in 1996.
Kelly has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s and one of the best-selling musicians in the world.
Kelly has been accused of sexual abuse, often with minors, since the 1990s. He has faced numerous civil suits and has been charged by criminal courts in Chicago, New York, Illinois, and Minnesota. In June 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of making child pornography. He was acquitted six years later in 2008. In January 2019, a Lifetime documentary titled Surviving R. Kelly detailed allegations of sexual abuse by multiple women.
Kelly was indicted by a Cook County grand jury in Chicago in February on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. This was by an additional 11 counts of sexual assault and abuse filed by the same court in May.
The judge ordered Kelly to remain in jail pending sentencing, scheduled for May 4, 2022. Kelly faces a second trial for producing child pornography scheduled for August 2022. On September 27, 2021, a federal jury in New York found Kelly guilty on nine counts including racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking, and a violation of the Mann Act.
7. Logic: January 22, 1990
At the age of 13, Logic met Solomon Taylor, who soon became his mentor. Logic became interested in rap and hip hop after watching the movie Kill Bill: Volume 1, directed by Quentin Tarantino. RZA produced the film’s score, a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Logic began listening to the group and soon expressed a deep affinity for hip hop. Logic bought the Roots’ album Do You Want More?!!!??! That same year, Taylor brought Logic a large number of CDs containing instrumental beats for him to write over.
Logic performed under the stage name Psychological in 2009, describing the name as “one name that really stuck with me. I just loved it because it spoke to the mind and I knew this is what I wanted my music to include; something that really challenges the mind”. Soon after, he made the money-making decision to shorten the “Psychological” moniker to “Logic”.
6. J. Cole: January 28, 1985
Cole was born on January 28, 1985, on an American military base in Frankfurt, West Germany. His father is an African-American veteran of the United States military, and his mother, Kay, is a European American who worked for the United States Postal Service.
During his youth, Cole’s father abandoned the family. His mother moved with him and his older brother Zach to Fayetteville, North Carolina when he was eight months old. When asked how closely his ethnicity impacts him, Cole responded, “I can identify with white people because I know my mother, her family, who I love.”
But at the end of the day, [I’ve] never felt white. I can identify [with white people] but never have I felt like I’m one of them. I identify more with what I look like because that’s how I got treated.”
5. LL Cool J: January 14, 1968
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), professionally known as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. The breakthrough success of his single “I Need a Beat” and the Radio LP made LL Cool J one of the first hip-hop acts to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC.
A total of 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations have been released by LL Cool J. Exit 13 (2008), his twelfth album, was the last release under his long-term deal with Def Jam Recordings. LL Cool J has appeared in a number of films, including In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, and Edison. In the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles, he portrays Special Agent Sam Hanna.
He was ranked among the “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time” by VH1. LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 with an award for musical excellence.
4. Pitbull: January 15, 1981
Armando Christian Pérez was born in Miami, Florida, on January 15, 1981. He was influenced by the Miami bass genre of pop music as a child and has cited Celia Cruz and Willy Chirino as sources of inspiration for his music. His parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother; he then spent time with a foster family in Roswell, Georgia.
He is a first-generation American. His parents are Cuban immigrants. His next English-language album, Planet Pit (2011), featured his first US number-one single “Give Me Everything” featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer.
3. Rick Ross: January 28, 1976.
At number 3 on our list is none other finger-lickin’ mister garlic chicken loving patron himself, Rick Ross. We are wishing him an especially safe birthday this year considering that in 2013, while celebrating his 37th birthday, Ross and his girlfriend were the targets of a drive-by shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In an attempt to escape the shooting, Ross and his girlfriend crashed their car into an apartment.
Ross was hospitalized on March 2, 2018, following a possible heart attack at his Miami, Florida, home. He was on life support. Within a few days he was discharged.
Toie Roberts, William Roberts III, Berkeley Hermes Roberts, and Billion Leonard Roberts are Ross’s children.
In 2015, Ross and Lira “Galore” Mercer were briefly engaged.
2. Raekwon: January 12, 1970
Raekwon is the professional name of Corey Woods, born on January 12, 1970. His lyrics contributed to the global popularity of Mafioso rap as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… to widespread critical acclaim in 1995.
Throughout the years, he has released numerous solo albums, as well as continuing to work with Wu-Tang and contributing to the works of other hip hop artists (such as his appearance on the first single for Outkast’s critically acclaimed album, Aquemini). ICE H2O Records is his own label.
In recent years, Raekwon has been credited with the revival of Mafioso rap. His inclusion on About.com’s list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987-2007) was announced in 2007.
1. Kid Cudi: January 30, 1984
Kid Cudi is the last artist on our list in no particular order. In the United States, Cudi has sold 22 million certified records and won two Grammy Awards. Many prominent artists in the music industry have collaborated with him, including Jay-Z, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, MGMT, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Ariana Grande and Michael Bolton. He has widely been recognized as an influence on several contemporary hip hop and alternative acts. Cudi has sold 22 million certified records in the United States and has won two Grammy Awards from five nominations.
We at Hip Hop Uncensored are wishing all of you January-born artists a safe and happy birthday.
