On This Day in Hip-Hop (01/07): The Weeknd, Bad Bunny & Gunna

These are the defining hip-hop events that made history today.

January 7, 2022: The Weeknd Released “Dawn FM”

I feel like The Weeknd said “watch this” with Dawn FM.

The project finds him fully experimenting with vintage pop sounds — the kind early Michael Jackson flirted with — while almost completely ditching any semblance of hip-hop or modern trends. It’s glossy, retro, and unapologetically committed to its vision.

While Dawn FM probably isn’t most listeners’ favorite Weeknd album, I do think it accomplished one important thing: it proved he would’ve absolutely thrived in the ’80s.

Our favorite tracks from the project? “Take My Breath” and “Moth to a Flame.”

January 7, 2025: Bad Bunny Released “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”

What is Bad Bunny’s magnum opus? That’s a genuinely interesting question.

If you believe this album is the answer, you’ve got a pretty strong case. Not only was it nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys — the first Latin album to ever do so — but it also helped solidify his place on the Super Bowl stage.

The project proudly celebrates his Puerto Rican roots, blending modern Latin urban sounds with traditional Caribbean instrumentation in a way that feels both personal and massive. We love many songs on the album… we’re just too lazy to type them all out (why did he use that unusual word structure?).

January 7, 2022: Gunna Released “DS4Ever”

Can you believe we got albums from The Weeknd and Gunna on the same day in 2022? Folks were eating real good that day — better than Audi Crooks, honestly.

What’s even crazier is that this album actually held off The Weeknd’s Dawn FM to claim the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. That was the moment it really clicked for me: Gunna wasn’t just out of here — he had officially leapfrogged his own boss in Young Thug. This was the turning point.

On DS4Ever, Gunna danced with hip-hop’s elite. You’ve got appearances from Young Thug, Drake, Future, Kodak Black, Lil Baby, Chris Brown — basically everyone who mattered at the time. The project was fun, glossy, and packed with undeniable commercial hits.

Our favorite tracks? “P Power” and “Too Easy.”

January 7, 2003: 50 Cent Dropped “In Da Club”

If aliens landed on Earth and said you could only play one song to guarantee they’d start shaking their extraterrestrial asses, I’m pressing play on “In Da Club.”

50 Cent cooked up the perfect club record here — a ridiculously catchy hook, playful Dr. Dre production, and lyrics that showed just how effortlessly he didn’t give a f**k about anything beyond having a good time. It’s a hip-hop classic that refuses to age… unlike Queen Latifah, who somehow still hasn’t either.