August 4th in Hip Hop History

2017"Despacito" becomes the most-watched YouTube video ever, passing the Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth collaboration "See You Again" with nearly 3 billion views in just seven months. The mark holds until 2020, when "Baby Shark" overtakes it.

2016Nationwide insurance announces a new ad campaign with Brad Paisley and Rachel Platten.

2012Electric blues guitarist Johnnie Bassett dies of cancer at age 76.

2011Rapper Big Sean is arrested in Lewiston, New York, after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a Wiz Khalifa concert, where he was performing. He is eventually fined $750 for second degree unlawful imprisonment.

2007Lee Hazlewood, who wrote Nancy Sinatra's hit "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," dies of renal cancer at age 78.

2006John Locke (keyboardist for Nazareth, Spirit) dies of cancer at age 62.

2005James "Little Milton" Campbell, known for blues hits such as 1969's "Grits Ain't Groceries," dies of complications following a stroke at age 70.

1994The Notorious B.I.G. marries R&B singer Faith Evans.

1992Thanks to controversy generated from the song "Cop Killer," the self-titled album by Ice-T's hardcore metal group Body Count is certified Gold for sales of 500,000 in the US.

1991Jeri Southern, a singer whose popular songs include "An Occasional Man" and "Fire Down Below," dies of pneumonia at age 64.

1981Marques Houston (of the R&B group Immature) is born in Los Angeles, California. As an actor, he's known for his role as Roger Evans on the '90s sitcom Sister, Sister.

1973Maureen McGovern's "The Morning After (The Song From The Poseidon Adventure)" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks.

1972

The movie Super Fly is released, along with a soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield that becomes a soul music landmark, taking on the drug culture portrayed in the film with vivid commentary.

1971The rapper Yo-Yo (Yolanda Whitaker) is born in Los Angeles. Teaming with Ice Cube, she has a hit in 1991 with "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo."

1970The Doors' Jim Morrison is arrested in Los Angeles for public drunkenness after being found lying unconscious on a resident's doorstep.

1970Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson marries his second wife, Barbara Charren, in Los Angeles. They divorce four years later.

1968The Newport Pop Festival attracts 100,000 with Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and The Animals.

1966The Temptations release "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep."

1964The Kinks release "You Really Got Me" in the UK. With a distorted guitar sound accomplished by taking a razor blade to an amplifier, it becomes their first hit, spending two weeks at #1 UK in September.

1962Paul Reynolds (lead guitarist for A Flock Of Seagulls) is born in Liverpool, England.

1959Robbin Crosby (guitarist for Ratt) is born in La Jolla, California.

1958Ian Broudie (of The Lightning Seeds) is born in Liverpool, England.

1957The Everly Brothers perform "Wake Up Little Susie" on the Ed Sullivan Show. It is one of the more controversial songs ever played on the show, as there are some questions as to what Susie and her date were doing before she fell asleep.

1956The Platters' "My Prayer" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks.

1956Elvis Presley releases "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel."

1952Maire Ni Bhraonian aka Moya Brennan (of the Celtic band Clannad) is born in Dublin, Ireland.

1951Roy Flowers (drummer for Sweet Sensation) is born in Kingston, Jamaica.

1947Paul Layton, bass player for The New Seekers, is born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.

1947Electronic musician Klaus Schulze (former drummer for Tangerine Dream) is born in Berlin, Germany.

1943David Carr (keyboardist for The Fortunes) is born in Leyton, London, England.

1941Singer-songwriter Timi Yuro is born Rosemary Timothy Yuro in Chicago, Illinois. Known for the 1961 hit "Hurt."

1940Larry Knechtel (keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist for Bread) is born in Bell, California.

1939R&B singer Frankie Ford is born in Gretna, Louisiana.

1936Bass singer Elsbeary Hobbs (of The Drifters) is born in Manhattan, New York.

1921Jazz guitarist Herb Ellis is born in Farmersville, Texas. Along with drummer Buddy Rich, he was part of the backing band for comeback albums by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

1901Jazz singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1875Hans Christian Andersen dies of liver cancer at age 70. His stories inspired songs by Kate Bush and Sinead O'Connor.