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What we’re gonna do here is go back. Here are some of the most notable events in entertainment for the week of December 9.
Michael Jackson Scores 6th UK No. 1 single with “Earth Song” (December 9, 1995)
The King of Pop had a total of 7 No. 1 singles in the UK, and it was on December 9—a whole 23 years ago—that he scored his 6th with “Earth Song”. Not only did it keep the first single released by The Beatles in 25 years, “Free as a Bird,” away from the No. 1 spot, but it also peaked within the top five in almost every European state.
Redman Drops Muddy Waters (December 10, 1996)
In 2016, The Boombox called Redman’s third studio album his “crown jewel,” noting how—though successful—his second album brought some challenges to his personal life. “Success happened real quick, so I was just all over the place and damn near lost my mind on the second album,” he shared in an interview with Revolt. But he came out on top, and thus, Muddy Waters was born.
“The whole Muddy Waters title is not about things look or how deep it can get or it can be,” he explained in an interview with Rap City’s Joe Clair. “It’s just the slouchiness of the album. I surfaced from the last album, I was in the dirt last time, covered to my head. Now it’s like I can surface with the mud on me now, I done came out, so it’s time for me to get back open like I was on the first album.”
James Brown Is Arrested in Tennessee (December 12, 1972)
No stranger to mugshots, James Brown was arrested for allegedly “inciting a riot” after a show at Knoxville’s Civic Coliseum.
“According to news accounts, a security guard called police after Brown and his entourage lingered for a long time talking with fans, and a scuffle broke out after law enforcement arrived,” the Knoxville News Sentinel noted. He later sued the city for false arrest.
Lauryn Hill Comes for the Catholic Church (December 13, 2003)
In true Gemini fashion, Lauryn Hill took the stage on which the Pope regularly stood and went all the way in on the Catholic church. In what MTV news called a tirade, Hill particularly criticized abusive priests, “alluding to the molestation allegations and alleged cover-ups that have rocked the Catholic church in the United States.”
“I realize some of you may be offended by what I’m saying, but what do you say to the families who were betrayed by the people in whom they believed?” she reportedly asked the crowd.
