On this week’s Billboard 200 chart, Gunna emerged from a tight race for the top spot with the second No. 1 album of his career, as DS4Ever debuted with 150,300 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data. The 19-track project includes “Pushin P” featuring Future and Young Thug, which launched at No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart; meanwhile, The Weeknd’s Dawn FM album starts at No. 2 on this week’s Billboard 200, with 148,000 equivalent album units.
How did Gunna score a chart-topper this time around? And will “Pushin P” develop into a durable hit? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Few would have predicted Gunna’s DS4Ever to emerge victorious in this week’s Billboard 200 race against a new album from a crossover heavy-hitter like The Weeknd. Focusing solely on the Gunna side of it, what about DS4Ever and its rollout allowed him to pull off the feat?
Andrew Unterberger: People really like Gunna! And it seems like buzz was on his side this time, particularly with “Pushin P” taking over the Internet and driving interest towards the project. Holding out the Drake collab “P Power” (which then leaked online) also appears to have worked to the set’s advantage, since it created extra interest around the album, and then drove further streams when it was included on the DRIP SEASON 4EVER reissue late on Thursday, near the very end of the tracking week.
Carl Lamarre: For us to consider Gunna an underdog is “P,” respectfully. The brother is an elite streamer and a formidable rap contender, proven by his 2020 Billboard 200 No. 1 album Wunna and DS4Ever becoming his fourth top 10 effort. I also think a combination of viral moments during the rollout — including his and Young Thug’s encounter with the racist pilot, the explosion of “Pushin’ P,” and the 16th letter in the alphabet becoming a culture-setting phenomenon — elevated Gunna’s chances of landing at No. 1.
Cydney Lee: DS4Ever is a continuation of Gunna’s early Drip Season series, so that alone is an excitement factor. He also teased “P” on Twitter in the week leading up to the album, and since Gunna’s not super vocal on Twitter, fans knew something was coming. The album cover art is also immaculate, and I feel like people just get a kick out of Gunna in general and for his over-the-top drip, so new music is just icing on the cake.
Heran Mamo: Certainly his trend-setting abilities, as “Pushin P” ignited emoji-riddled “P” Twitter memes, explanatory articles, beef between Gunna and Freddie Gibbs and the final word after Young Thug was kicked off a private jet by a pilot named Alex (he’s definitely not “P”) – some of which came before the album itself. That level of infiltration into not just hip-hop culture but popular culture brought heightened attention toward Gunna and this album. And the anticipation for the Drake-assisted “P power” (lesson here is never underestimate the power of “P”) also helped push the album, since it materialized a few days after the project did.
Jason Lipshutz: His personality isn’t as outlandish as his hip-hop cohorts, and his come-up narrative isn’t as crystallized, but Gunna is sneakily a big deal, particularly as an album artist. Wunna started at No. 1 in 2020 with a six-figure equivalent album unit debut, and Drip or Drown 2 started at No. 3 one year before that; regardless of its content and rollout, DS4Ever hitting the top of the Billboard 200 was always a possibility thanks to that track record. The strong reception to the album, smart marketing with the “P” emoji and A-list guest stars (including Drake, whose “P Power” was teased and later added to the album on streaming services) helped DS4Ever grow from No. 1 threat to No. 1 finisher.
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2. “Pushin P” is off to the early lead among tracks from the album with its No. 7 Hot 100 debut, and appears to have already made the first major contribution to the year’s pop culture lexicon with the ambiguous “P” of its title. Does it seem set to become one of the early year’s defining hits, or do you think it will fade once excitement over the album dies down a little?
Andrew Unterberger: I don’t see those “P” emojis disappearing from my Twitter feed anytime soon. I’m a little bit surprised the song has taken off the way it has, since it’s not one of the more grabbing songs on the album to me, but an intriguing hook goes a long way and the adaptability of the “P” meaning has helped make it a meme for all seasons — and certainly for this winter 2022. It might not climb much higher than No. 7, especially with radio support likely to be slow-building, but I bet it lingers around the top 20 (and maybe the top 10) for months to come.
Carl Lamarre: I think “Pushin’ P” will remain an active player in the 2022 lexicon and has already etched a place in the lore of social media memes. If you go on Instagram, you’ll see people incessantly using the “P” emoji when they deem something player-like or cool. The phrase’s ubiquity could have long legs, and at least ride out for the rest of the year. As for the record itself, it’s an instant thumper. Gunna, Future and Thug can move mountains when it comes to crafting bangers as solo stars, but when united, they are a spirited trio who can make LeBron, Wade and Bosh’s success look like child’s play.
Cydney Lee: Gunna and Young Thug (and Future) are adept at making in-the-moment hits. Do you still hear “Ski” being played everywhere? I feel like “Pushin P” is another one of those, though it may last a little longer since it doubles as a new slang phrase. The song will probably die down, but the saying will be around for a minute. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got the dance-challenge treatment.
Heran Mamo: “Pushin P” can outlast the album’s initial hype if “P” continues to persist in pop culture. Those who don’t know what “P” means will inevitably find themselves going to the song for clarity, which would rack up more streams. Now that would be “P.” But collaborating with YSL label boss Young Thug, in what 300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles described to Billboard recently as a “Batman and Robin”-type bond, has proven fruitful for Gunna’s career over the years, with 11 of their joint tracks reaching the Hot 100 (prior to the release of DS4EVER), including “Hot” (peaked at No. 11), “Solid” (No. 12), “Ski” (No. 18) and “Dollaz on My Head” (No. 38).
Jason Lipshutz: If not for the “P” of it all, I’d say that the song was likely to drop off — “Too Easy” with Future is a more effective team-up between the two on the album, while “Thought I Was Playing” with 21 Savage sounds like a more natural hit. Yet “Pushin P” has already entered the cultural lexicon, a savvy bit of catchphrase deployment that will result in a long-lasting hit single. I’m not sure if “Pushin P” will climb higher than No. 7 on the chart, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was still in the top 20 of the Hot 100 come March.
3. DS4Ever mostly feels cut from the same cloth as Gunna’s prior No. 1 album Wunna — but are there any tracks on the album that surprised you by going in new and/or unexpected directions?
Andrew Unterberger: Don’t know if it’s brand new for him, but the sing-song bars (traded off with YSL mentor Young Thug) and frisky beat of “Mop” certainly feels like a curveball on the album to me, something almost more fit for Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake era. It feels like the logical extension of the duo’s Slime Language 2 hit “Ski” — and that was one of my favorite songs of last year, so I’m definitely not mad about them going further down that slope.
Carl Lamarre: One major standout highlight for me on DS4Ever was the transitions and flow of the album. Gunna deftly glides on famous ’90s R&B-tinged samples like Keith Sweat’s “Why Baby” (“livin wild”) and Jon B’s “They Don’t Know” (“you & me”) before turning his swag back on the riotous club-starter “south to west.” His musicality is on ten, and it showed during his live performance at New York’s Irving Plaza concert last week, where he performed the album with 1500 or Nothin’ serving as his live band.
Cydney Lee: Nothing unsurprising. After my initial excitement wore off, DS4Ever feels formulaic, but its placement as a series finale album could possibly explain why it doesn’t sound as experimental as Wunna. If anything, I was surprised to hear the Jon B. “They Don’t Know” interpolation on the Chloe Bailey-assisted “you & me.” Taurus killed that beat, and the song is more proof that Gunna can sing sing.
Heran Mamo: “You & me” with Chlöe. Gunna gets in his R&B bag for this one, especially after they pulled the sultry chorus of Jon B’s 1998 ballad “They Don’t Know” for the introduction and interpolated the lyrics. Considering relationship rumors have been swirling around these two – which they both recently shut down – “you & me” feels like a subtle response to what everyone around Gunna and Chlöe has been speculating. Whatever’s happening between them, their chemistry is undeniably palpable on the track, where Gunna gives us a real glimpse into his romantic side.
Jason Lipshutz: Wunna was one of the 10 best albums released in 2020, but DS4Eever flows better — I love how the collaborative tracks are clustered together and then broken up with multi-song solo runs, as if Gunna was alternating between sharing the stage and owning it himself. The songs on DS4Ever don’t represent a sonic or lyrical evolution, but does boast smarter sequencing, which encourages repeat listens.
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4. On the other side, Dawn FM becomes The Weeknd’s first new album since 2013’s Kiss Land to not debut at No. 1. Is the No. 2 debut a disappointment for The Weeknd, or is it more about the context behind the release than anything else?
Andrew Unterberger: When you’re a superstar like The Weeknd, anything but a No. 1 is a disappointment almost regardless of context. But it’s not like he’s not No.1 anywhere — Dawn FM topped the charts in 10 other countries, if not this one — and he himself has acknowledged that he’d be short-changing his numbers a little by not releasing a physical edition of the album along with the digital version. Given what a massive blockbuster 2020’s After Hours was, and that this new set feels in many ways like the end of that era — he’ll be touring both albums for the first time this summer — rather than the start of a new one, I don’t consider Dawn FM debuting short of No. 1 that big a deal.
Carl Lamarre: It’s a disappointment only because it’s The Weeknd. People are still hungover from the blistering success of the nearly two-year-old After Hours. People are frozen in that After Hours era and aren’t ready to hit lift-off just yet. Only a few months ago, “Blinding Lights” became the biggest Hot 100 song ever. Only a year ago, The Weeknd performed at the Super Bowl. He’s still blockbuster, but because of that, it also makes the blemish that much more apparent.
Cydney Lee: I think it’s about the context. The Weeknd has been booked and busy since After Hours, winning awards and breaking music records left and right. We’ve been seeing a lot of him lately and while I wouldn’t say he’s been over-saturated, it just seems like there was more an allure around Gunna this time around. I also feel like OG fans of The Weeknd are either loving or hating his sonic transition which could explain the No. 2 debut, which, I also want to make clear, is not a disappointment considering his plethora of other accolades.
Heran Mamo: First of all, I don’t think a No. 2 debut should be a disappointment to any artist. Second, The Weeknd’s not the first major crossover pop artist in the last couple of years to debut at that spot — Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes debuted at No. 2 behind country superstar Kenny Chesney’s Here and Now in 2020. In this case, I think it’s harder for concept albums like Dawn FM to be commercially successful, considering there are interludes like “A Tale by Quincy” and the titular track that aren’t songs in the traditional sense and wouldn’t get played as often as the other tracks. Not to mention, Dawn FM lacked the cinematic, months-long pre-release album rollout of its predecessor After Hours. But The Weeknd told me in his recent Billboard cover story that he didn’t know how to execute this project until now because “it probably would be too ambitious for me prior.” And he pulled it off and proved he’s a superstar who appeals to different generations and evokes the greats from generations before him. And he already expressed how he didn’t care about the lack of physical album copies impacting first week figures because “getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times” was more important to him. Those are wins on their own.
Jason Lipshutz: After an enormous, record-breaking past two years, The Weeknd returned with an album that could have been a victory lap but instead functioned as a maturation of his synth-pop sound, with some of his most immediate jams to date. Sure, a No. 1 debut is always preferable, but a No. 2 debut isn’t a negative for an unquestioned superstar coming off a Super Bowl halftime show and the biggest Hot 100 hit of all time. And with the physical edition of Dawn FM still to come, as well as songs like “Sacrifice” working their way onto pop radio, a No. 1 album may be in his sights in the coming weeks.
5. Debuting with his career-best first week numbers would seem to represent a level-up for Gunna in his stardom. Using a “P” word or phrase, describe Gunna’s current place in the hip-hop and pop universe.
Andrew Unterberger: Precipice, on the? Gunna had been lagging a little bit behind his Drip Harder partner Lil Baby in terms of crossover stardom the last couple years — which fit their respective personalities fine away — but this set definitely appears to be Gunna catching up, just one big song or moment away from joining Baby in hip-hop’s marquee tier. (And if “Pushin P” does keep growing, that might be enough to put him over the top.)
Carl Lamarre: Phenomenal. Gunna is only beginning to find his groove and is proving to be more than just Young Thug’s YSL running mate — he’s a bonafide star.
Cydney Lee: Punctual. Gunna seems to always show up right on time.
Heran Mamo: “P”revailing.
Jason Lipshutz: Potential. This is a big moment for Gunna, after years of professional build-up. I think the biggest is still yet to come, though.
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Tagged: Chart Beat, entertainment blog, Hip-Hop, music, music blog