On This Day in Hip-Hop (01/09): DMX, Sean Paul & iTunes

Today marks the anniversary of several important events that shaped hip-hop and R&B history.

January 9, 1999: DMX’s “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” Lands At Number One On The Billboard 200

Before NBA YoungBoy was even a thought — dropping albums every other business day — there was a guy named DMX doing something that felt almost unheard of at the time. He released two albums in the same year, and both of those b*tches debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.

On this day, just seven months after his debut album hit the top spot, DMX’s second project, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, also went #1 in America. That kind of run was ridiculous. Sometimes I have to remind people of this: you truly don’t remember how massive DMX was in his prime. He was bigger than the national debt.

Also, side note — Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood has some absolutely disgusting album artwork.

2. January 9, 1973: Sean Paul Was Born

Sean Paul (aka Sean The Paul) was born on this day in 1973. You could arguably make the case that he’s the most commercially successful reggae artist of all time (I know Bob Marley’s estate might want to swing on me, but I did say arguably). At his peak, he was unstoppable, dropping global smashes like “Gimme the Light” and “Get Busy” that genuinely shifted the sound of mainstream music. On top of that, he’s collaborated with everyone from Beyoncé to Jay-Z and beyond. Sean The Paul was really that guy.

3. January 9, 2001: Steve Jobs Announces iTunes

On this day, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO at the time, announced the release of iTunes. What started as a simple music player for Macs quickly became the foundation of something much bigger. You could burn CDs, rate songs, build playlists, and organize your entire music life in one place. In a way, it felt like a quiet rebellion against the traditional way we consumed music.

All I know is my iTunes library was beating everybody else’s — no debate.