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38th Annual Grammy Awards

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What we gonna do here is go back. Here are some of the most notable drops in entertainment for the week of November 11.

Beastie Boy’s Licensed to Ill (November 15, 1986)

This week—a whole 32 years ago—the Beastie Boys released their debut album, Licensed to Ill. It goes without saying how much of a mark it left in hip-hop: it was the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart, and this year Sonos announced a forthcoming special edition speaker inspired by the group’s identity. In 1998, the album was named one of The Source’s 100 Best Rap Albums, and is the only album by a Jewish hip-hop outfit to receive 5 coveted mics from the publication.

The Bodyguard​ (November 17, 1992)

The soundtrack that gave us Whitney Houston’s unforgettable cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” dropped this week in 1992. The film was released one week later on November 25, 1992, and though the film was called “a cheesy, melodramatic potboiler” by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains to be an early ’90s classic amongst her fan circle.

Fun fact: the movie, whose screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan (it was his first), was first presented in 1976 with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the lead roles. It was put on the backburner, however, due to concerns “that audiences wouldn’t warm to the interracial romance,” according to Moviefone.

Snoop D​ogg’s Doggystyle (November 23, 1993)

This technically should be honored next week, but folks are out for Thanksgiving, so we’re honoring it now. The debut album from the now renowned rap veteran Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 and became one of the most important albums in hip-hop history.

“I had an idea [I was making a classic album because I had just come off of my freshman release with Dr. Dre on The Chronic album, and that was received very well,” Snoop told Revolt on Doggystyle‘s 20th anniversary back in 2013. “And it wasn’t that we were cocky, it was like we was confident because we felt like when we did The Chronic, we were taking the NWA moniker and stepping that up to another level in the game.”

He continued, “We didn’t feel like we were making a classic, we just felt like we was making feel-good music. And at the time, it was just about making me feel good, making everybody in the room feel good, and eventually making the whole world feel good.”

Doggystyle‘s two top 10 singles—”Gin and Juice” and “Who Am I? (What’s My Name)”—both peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

TLC’s CrazySexyCool​ ​(November 15, 1994​)

Ahh, CrazySexyCool—the phrase that will forever make us think about jewel-toned silk pajamas. The followup to 1992’s Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, one could argue that the album—which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (and claimed that spot for over two years)—served as their breakout album.

Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak​ (November 24, 2008)

Another one that technically counts for next week, but again, the holiday. 2008 was arguably the beginning of the Kanye we know today (note: we’re not necessarily talking about MAGA Kanye), with 808’s & Heartbreak—at the time—being Kanye’s most experimental project yet. It featured minimalist soundscapes in lieu of his usual full and rich production, and a lot more singing than rapping. As you may recall, not only had he and then-fiancee Alexis Phifer split that April, but he had also just lost his mother in November of the prior year.

Despite mixed reception, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 450K copies during its first week. It was also included on multiple year-end lists as one of the best albums to drop in 2008.