There are few stars who are as iconic as Jennifer Lopez. She's transcended generations as a singer, dancer, actress, and now entrepreneur whose early proximity to hip-hop turned her into Jenny From The Block. On Tuesday, June 1st, she celebrated the 22nd anniversary of her debut album, On The 6 which catapulted her into the star she is today.
J. Lo took to the Gram where she celebrated the 1999 release of the album with a clip of herself reflecting one her extraordinary come up from her life in the Bronx to global stardom. "One day I was in the studio and somebody asked me, 'How did you go from living in the Bronx, Puerto Rican parents not being connected in the business at all, doing movies, and making your album now? You know, you're making your own album.' And I said, 'I usually get on the 6 train, down to the city, do my auditions, do my dance classes, my voice lessons, stuff like that. And that was the beginning of everything for me,'" she says in the throwback interview footage. "This album for me is very much the same girl that grew up there."
In her IG caption, she expressed her gratitude for the album changing her life. "June 1st is always a happy day for me! It was the day I released my debut album On The 6. It changed my life forever… it’s taken me around the world and introduced me to the world of music and all of YOU," she wrote.
On The 6 was a massive success, both critically and commercially, upon its release. With production from Diddy, Emilio Estefan, Jr. and more, the album moved 112K units in its first week as "If You Had My Love" spent a second week in a row at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The album also produced other successful singles like "Let's Get Loud" and "Feelin' So Good" ft. Big Pun and Fat Joe.