August 14, 2025 • 17 mins
From his underground debut Drip Season to his latest release The Last Wun, Gunna has built a discography full of chart-toppers, Grammy-nominated hits, and unforgettable collabs. In this episode, we rank all eleven of his official projects, breaking down the highs, the lows, and the moments that defined his career. We also touch on his strained relationship with Young Thug after the YSL RICO trial — and what it could mean for Gunna’s future.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In a world absolutely buzzing with information, Finding the real insights,
the true nuggets of knowledge can feel like a deep
dive in itself.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Right, Definitely, it's overwhelming sometimes.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
How do we quickly grasp the essence of a complex topic,
especially when it involves, you know, the winding journey of
a music superstar.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, it's not just about consuming information, is it. It's
more about extracting meanings, seeing the patterns and understanding the
why behind the what.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Absolutely, and that's exactly what we're doing today. This deep
dive is all about navigating the fascinating career of Atlanta
rapper Gunna. Okay, we're looking specifically through the lens of
Billboard's ranking of all eleven of his official releases all eleven.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Wow, that's comprehensive.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is. Our mission is basically to unpack his trajectory
from those early debut mixtapes right up to the tartaping.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Albums, exploring how his sound.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Evolves, exactly what defined his hits, and crucially, how external
pressures have shaped his art up to a really significant
inflection point in his career.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
And for anyone curious about how an artist actually builds
a catalog or the nuances of creative growth and sometimes,
let's be honest, stagnation, right, or just the impact of
life events on artistic output. This is going to be
well a masterclass in understanding that music journey.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yeah, you'll see how every release, every drip, as they say,
tells a part of a larger story. Okay, let's unpack this. Then.
Gunna's career is I think a prime example of an
artist navigating massive success, creative evolution, and intense public scrutiny.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
It's a lot to take in when you look at
it chronologically.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, and what's fascinating here is how his discography, like
piece by piece, tells a story beyond just the music.
It reflects a journey of growth, collaboration, adaptation, all in
a very public space. Each album is like a snapshot,
you know, where he was creatively and personally.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So, just to set the stage a bit more, gun
officially joined YSL Records back in twenty.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Sixteen, right Young Thug's label exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
And over the next five years he really used the
blockbuster success of his Drip Season mixtape series to climb
up to hip hop stardom.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
He definitely blow up quick, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Scored crossover hits. His studio albums only amplified his superstar status,
spawning massive tracks like Fukumian.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Push and p Young Thug in Future and.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Drip Too Hard with Little Baby. I mean, those last
two are even nominated for Grammys. That's a meteoric rise.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It truly was. But you know, despite that incredibly lucrative
relationship with YSL, in recent years, Gunna's standing within the label,
within Thug circle has noticeably.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Freed, right, And that followed his involvement in the controversial
YSL RIKO trial.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, the ri CO case and for anyone maybe not familiar,
RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced in Corrupt Organizations Act.
It's a serious federal charge originally designed for organized.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Crime, heavy stuff very.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And Gunna accepted a plea deal that led to his
release from jail. That move seemed to uh strain his
dynamic with Young Thug. Now, neither rapper has commented directly
on this rumored falling out, no official statements, right, but
Young Thug did post a few deleted tweets that kind
of hinted at his feelings on the matter.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And this is really that inflection point. We mentioned earlier
his career after this incredibly successful run, is now approaching, well,
a new.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Phase, definitely a turning point.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So Billboard took this look back at all eleven of
his official releases, and we're going to walk through their ranking,
starting with the project they put at the bottom of
the list.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
He really puts his whole journey into perspective when you
see it laid out.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Like this kicking us off. Then at number eleven, we
have Drip Season. This was Gunna's debut mixtape.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
The very beginning.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, and it certainly offered, you know, a lot of
exciting promise songs like going in showcase his ear for
those well pinned flexes, those clever boasts, Yeah, exactly, and
those pop adjacent melodies he became known for and caught
Me a Foreign That was the first real exam of
his like impeccable chemistry with Young Thug. They were crooning
almost in tandem on that. You can hear the raw
(04:06):
talent bubbling up for.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Sure, you definitely can't. But Billboard also noted it was
hardly his most concise effort. Yeah, they said, Young Na
lack direction and tracks like how can I switch didn't
really elevate his personality on the mic? Is that typical
for a debut seeing glimpses but also that rawness?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Oh? Absolutely, it really is. Many artists, especially in hip hop,
use those early mixtapes almost like a proving ground, you know,
a sandboxed experiment in you hear the foundational elements that
distinct gunna sound starting to take shape, but it's not
quite refined yet. It's like seeing an architects for sketches
before the final blueprint.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Good analogy. Okay, Moving up just one spot to number ten,
we find Drip season two.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Creatively, Billboard saw this as a definite step in the
right direction. He played with melody moron songs like Secure,
the Vibe and Phase, and even tried speeding up his
delivery on Japan, clearly trying some new things.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
He was, Yeah, but he also stepped completely out of
his element in certain spots on this one. Oh really
like where the well Billboard felt he sounded frankly kind
of out of place alongside Playboy Cardi on that pure
Born produced track ysl Oh okay, and then he attempts
to replicate Migos's famous triplet flow on top, but apparently
with diminishing returns.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
It makes you wonder does finding your unique voice as
an artist often involve those kinds of missteps, those uncomfortable experiments.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I think it has to write. It's part of the
process figuring out what actually works for you and what doesn't.
You got to try on different styles sometimes true.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Curiously jumping ahead quite a bit in time at number nine,
we have the last one. This is a much more
recent effort, his latest Yeah, and Billboard found this one
to be creatively stagnant, even though it's his newest project
and as they put it, potentially his farewell address to YSL.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Which is a stark contrast to that early experimental face
we're just talking about totally. Billboard highlighted things like underutilized features,
bars that felt recycled and simplified. Yeah, noting that Gunna
sounded sort of a sleep at the wheel for too
much of It's what twenty five tracks that's long it is.
The mood barely shifts out of this like relaxed gear,
(06:18):
and despite some highlights, most songs just kind of come
and go without much punch. He's largely rapping about fame, wealth,
the usual topics for him.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's interesting though, that a later project ranks so low
given the whole context, the rto trial, everything going on
personally for him. Then do you think Billboard's assessment of
stagnation might be missing something?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's a really good question.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Could it be like a deliberate, more subdued reflection of
his state or just a creative myths regardless?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Well, while some might argue it reflects his emotional state,
Billboard's critique really points to a lack of creative evolution
in the music itself. Got it The theme stayed familiar, right,
even if the underlying feeling might have been darker. It
felt more like a return to his comfort zone rather
than pushing into a new artistic direction. Okay, and that
can sometimes feel like stagnation, especially after a project like
(07:09):
a Gift in a Curse, which we'll get to.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right right, Okay. Moving to number eight is drip.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Or drown ah the EP Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
For Gunna's Day one fans, this is often considered the
project that truly started it all. It showed Gunna in
a far more polished.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
State, definitely more polished. His bars and flow were tighter
than anything on those first strip season Pais. Even so
some songs on Drip or Drown kind of meander aimlessly,
both lyrically and melodically, Like they pull a quote from
the song Award Hopped in the coup let the tesla
charge I keep a strap because I really be known
in interesting line.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. So, while it had its moments, it also highlights
where Gunna was truly starting to find his footing as
a rapper. You hear him locking into that signature cadence,
even if not every track quite hit the.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Mark yet makes sense at number seven we have Drip
season three.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Okay, back to the main series.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yep, this project, according to Billboard, was filled with all
the ingredients of a great rap project. The beats were
slippery and lush, really complementing his woozy flow, and.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
The production started getting really strong around then. Yeah, and
his ear for melody was significantly better on tracks like
Pedestrian and Hell of a Price. Plus features from Young
Thug and lil Uzivert added some welcome variety.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Sounds like a recipe for success. So with all those
strong elements, why do you think Billboard felt it didn't
quite stick the landing? What was missing?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That's the key question, right, it seems the ingredients were there,
but the final result didn't quite coalesce into something truly groundbreaking.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
For Billboard, the songs didn't really take enough creative or
emotive risks. They kind of fell back into Gunna's default
mode flexing about lavish wealth.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So improved execution, but maybe not enough ambition.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yeah, it felt like maybe a missed opportunity to elevate
the conversation despite the improvements. Okay. Landing at number six
is DS four eve er Now. This album spawned one
of Gunna's absolute biggest hits in Push.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And p Oh. Yeah, that track was everywhere to find
a moment like you said.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Totally and twenty five k Jacket really showcased that little
baby and Gunna's like tit for tat chemistry was still alive.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
And well they do work well together, they do yet.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Billboard also notes this as one of Gunna's most uneven albums.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Uneven huh, how so well?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
They stated he often sounds as he's on autopilot for
a lot of it out and that many of his
big guest collaborators Drake Future, Chris Brown, even Thugga all
kind of barry Gunna on his own songs.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Hmm. Is that a sign maybe he's still finding his
voice alongside those massive names, or perhaps a deliberate choice
letting the future shine. What do you think?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
That's tough balance, isn't it. You want those big features
for the hype, but you also need to assert your
own presence. Sometimes can feel like the features just take over.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, it's tricky, all right.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Coming in at number five, we have one of.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
One okay, another recent one.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah. This felt like Gunna's sort of back to business
album after the darker subject matter. He explored on a
Gift and a Curse.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Right, getting back to the familiar Gunna sound exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Songs like Dollar with Normani and Neck on a Yacht
definitely have that signature bravado that Gunn of fans connect with.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
There's always a butt with these middle rankings.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Huh, seems like it. Billboard pointed out that the bloated
twenty song track list mostly traverses familiar themes for Gunna.
Mm hmm, which they admit was kind of disappointing, considering
Curse implied something larger might have been shifting within his
creative world.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
So a return to form, but maybe too much of
a return.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, it's not that it's necessarily a bad album, but
maybe it just didn't bring enough new elements to the party.
After what seemed like a significant pivot, it felt like
maybe a step back into the comfort.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Zone, which critics often read as a lack of progression.
Fair or not right?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Okay, now we're moving up the ladder significantly. Number four
Drip or Drown two ah.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
The full album version. I remember this one.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Gunna really found some pockets of greatness here. While it
didn't hit the same commercial heights as some later projects,
it still racked up millions of streams and provided some
Gunna's tightest songs.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, I agree with that, Like on Three Headed Snake
with Thug. Yes, the pair just swerve over that wheezy
production effortlessly. Gunna follows Thug's lead, but it feels so synchronized,
almost like a torch was being passed.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That track really captured a moment, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It did, and it gave fans a taste of what
was coming with Little Baby on Derek Fisher plus Baby
Burkin really showed how Gunna's kind of syrupy delivery was
enough to carry a song all by himself. This one
felt like a definite step up, showing he could carry
a project with a tightened focus.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Agreed. Okay, now we're in the top three, landing at
number three. We have a gift and a curse.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Okay. This was a big one, contextually huge yea.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
As Gunna's a fi first day out release after his
Plea deal. He really branched out on this album in
a way he hadn't before.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Took a darker, more reflective approach right exactly, and it
gave him one of his biggest hits to date.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Fukumenin his voice sounds velvety smooth, but his flow sounds determined,
slightly vindictive even.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
And crucially he uses it to try and clear his
name of those snitching allegations on songs like Bread and
Butter and back at It. Yeah, this feels like the
closest Gunna has come to really stepping outside his comfort
zone and hearing him mind that difficult subject matter, especially
as the rap world seemingly turned against him. It's incredibly powerful.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Definitely, this project isn't just a collection of songs. It
feels more like a public diary, a raw response to
all that intense personal pressure.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
A necessary album for him at that moment.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Perhaps it seems like it. Okay number two, it's the
collaboration Drip Harder with Little Baby Ah the classic.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
This is considered an almost no Skip's masterpiece by many.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It really is. Collaborative projects are hard to pull off,
but Baby and Gunna just keep the tape alive by
almost competing at every turn.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, they push each other on Drip Too Hard.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Little Baby uses his great ear for melody, while Gunna
just kicks the door open with these rambunctious bars about
private planes and diamond boogers.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Ah. Yeah, the famous line I feel like a child,
I got boogers in the face, diamonds dancing in the
dial like this, this is a parade iconic. And then
on other songs like Belly and Businesses Business, the duo
take a smoother ride, just skating across glistening guitars and
ambient synths. Drip Harder marks such important moment, both in
Atlanta hip hop and for Baby and Gunna's careers individually.
(13:43):
It really felt like atl hip hop, which had felt
maybe a bit stagnant in twenty eighteen, was finally alive again.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
That's a significant legacy for a collaborative project huge, and
finally Billboard's top ranked gunn a project coming in at
number one. Wenna won h Okay after a whole slew
of solo projects with grand moments sprinkled throughout one to
emerge for them is his best and most consistent solo effort.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah. I can see that his flows are wound really
tight on this one. Every bar is enunciated clearly, and
his anecdotes are as charming as ever.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
They pull that line from Dolla's on my Head. I
put Prada on my caller because she's proud of what
I have said. I'm a leader. I got them following
with my footstuff like the.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Feds, delivered with that kind of glint in anxiety.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And while Gunna often treads through familiar territory girls, drugs, money,
expensive clothes, he does it on one with enough detail
to make you almost feel the fabrics and smell the cash.
It really encapsulates his signature sound at its absolute peak.
It's here we see the mastery of that less is
more approach he has, where his understated delivery in this vivid,
(14:47):
almost tactile descriptions become this powerful form of storytelling in themselves.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So if you kind of connect all this back to
the bigger picture, you really see an artist who at
his best perfected a very.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Specific lane, that melodic trap sound.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Right, had explosive collaborative chemistry, especially with Baby and Thug,
and then under Duress showed this surprising willingness to explore darker,
more personal.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Themes on a Gift in a Curse Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Before potentially maybe reverting to type on the latest project.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It's a really fascinating look at the pressures and pathways
of a modern music career, isn't it total. You see
the evolution, the high points, the collaborations, and those moments
where external forces undeniably shape the creative output. Each ranked
album isn't just separate. It's a chapter in this much larger,
still unfolding story.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
So what does this all mean for you listening? Well,
it means that even for artists who seem to stick
firmly to a lane, there are always deeper creative currents
and crucially external forces at play, always shaping every drip
and every curse in their catalog. The art is always
always more than just the beats in the rhymes. It's
a reflection of a life being lived.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, and thinking about that, given that the last one
felt creatively stagnant to Billboard, and Gunna's career is clearly
at this inflection point after the RCU trial and plea deal,
What does this whole catalog really tell us about his future?
If the last one truly is his last one on
YSL Records, What kind of artistic risks or transformations might
(16:19):
we see from him if he moves beyond those familiar themes,
beyond the label that help define his early success.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
That's the big question. And beyond that, how much does
an artist personal narrative, especially one so public and controversial
like Gunnas now is? How much does that inevitably bleed
into and maybe even dictate their creative output?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah? Is it even possible for an artist to fully
separate their art from their most challenging life experiences, especially
when it's all playing out so publicly.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Something to think about. Consider how the journey of just
one artist like Gunna can illuminate these broader trends in
music and that really complex relationship between personal life, public perception,
and creative expression.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
There's always more to discover when you take a deep
dive into the story behind the sound
In a world absolutely buzzing with information, Finding the real insights,
the true nuggets of knowledge can feel like a deep
dive in itself.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Right, Definitely, it's overwhelming sometimes.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
How do we quickly grasp the essence of a complex topic,
especially when it involves, you know, the winding journey of
a music superstar.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, it's not just about consuming information, is it. It's
more about extracting meanings, seeing the patterns and understanding the
why behind the what.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Absolutely, and that's exactly what we're doing today. This deep
dive is all about navigating the fascinating career of Atlanta
rapper Gunna. Okay, we're looking specifically through the lens of
Billboard's ranking of all eleven of his official releases all eleven.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Wow, that's comprehensive.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is. Our mission is basically to unpack his trajectory
from those early debut mixtapes right up to the tartaping.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Albums, exploring how his sound.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Evolves, exactly what defined his hits, and crucially, how external
pressures have shaped his art up to a really significant
inflection point in his career.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
And for anyone curious about how an artist actually builds
a catalog or the nuances of creative growth and sometimes,
let's be honest, stagnation, right, or just the impact of
life events on artistic output. This is going to be
well a masterclass in understanding that music journey.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yeah, you'll see how every release, every drip, as they say,
tells a part of a larger story. Okay, let's unpack this. Then.
Gunna's career is I think a prime example of an
artist navigating massive success, creative evolution, and intense public scrutiny.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
It's a lot to take in when you look at
it chronologically.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, and what's fascinating here is how his discography, like
piece by piece, tells a story beyond just the music.
It reflects a journey of growth, collaboration, adaptation, all in
a very public space. Each album is like a snapshot,
you know, where he was creatively and personally.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So, just to set the stage a bit more, gun
officially joined YSL Records back in twenty.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Sixteen, right Young Thug's label exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
And over the next five years he really used the
blockbuster success of his Drip Season mixtape series to climb
up to hip hop stardom.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
He definitely blow up quick, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Scored crossover hits. His studio albums only amplified his superstar status,
spawning massive tracks like Fukumian.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Push and p Young Thug in Future and.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Drip Too Hard with Little Baby. I mean, those last
two are even nominated for Grammys. That's a meteoric rise.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It truly was. But you know, despite that incredibly lucrative
relationship with YSL, in recent years, Gunna's standing within the label,
within Thug circle has noticeably.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Freed, right, And that followed his involvement in the controversial
YSL RIKO trial.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, the ri CO case and for anyone maybe not familiar,
RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced in Corrupt Organizations Act.
It's a serious federal charge originally designed for organized.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Crime, heavy stuff very.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And Gunna accepted a plea deal that led to his
release from jail. That move seemed to uh strain his
dynamic with Young Thug. Now, neither rapper has commented directly
on this rumored falling out, no official statements, right, but
Young Thug did post a few deleted tweets that kind
of hinted at his feelings on the matter.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And this is really that inflection point. We mentioned earlier
his career after this incredibly successful run, is now approaching, well,
a new.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Phase, definitely a turning point.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So Billboard took this look back at all eleven of
his official releases, and we're going to walk through their ranking,
starting with the project they put at the bottom of
the list.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
He really puts his whole journey into perspective when you
see it laid out.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Like this kicking us off. Then at number eleven, we
have Drip Season. This was Gunna's debut mixtape.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
The very beginning.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, and it certainly offered, you know, a lot of
exciting promise songs like going in showcase his ear for
those well pinned flexes, those clever boasts, Yeah, exactly, and
those pop adjacent melodies he became known for and caught
Me a Foreign That was the first real exam of
his like impeccable chemistry with Young Thug. They were crooning
almost in tandem on that. You can hear the raw
(04:06):
talent bubbling up for.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Sure, you definitely can't. But Billboard also noted it was
hardly his most concise effort. Yeah, they said, Young Na
lack direction and tracks like how can I switch didn't
really elevate his personality on the mic? Is that typical
for a debut seeing glimpses but also that rawness?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Oh? Absolutely, it really is. Many artists, especially in hip hop,
use those early mixtapes almost like a proving ground, you know,
a sandboxed experiment in you hear the foundational elements that
distinct gunna sound starting to take shape, but it's not
quite refined yet. It's like seeing an architects for sketches
before the final blueprint.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Good analogy. Okay, Moving up just one spot to number ten,
we find Drip season two.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Creatively, Billboard saw this as a definite step in the
right direction. He played with melody moron songs like Secure,
the Vibe and Phase, and even tried speeding up his
delivery on Japan, clearly trying some new things.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
He was, Yeah, but he also stepped completely out of
his element in certain spots on this one. Oh really
like where the well Billboard felt he sounded frankly kind
of out of place alongside Playboy Cardi on that pure
Born produced track ysl Oh okay, and then he attempts
to replicate Migos's famous triplet flow on top, but apparently
with diminishing returns.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
It makes you wonder does finding your unique voice as
an artist often involve those kinds of missteps, those uncomfortable experiments.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I think it has to write. It's part of the
process figuring out what actually works for you and what doesn't.
You got to try on different styles sometimes true.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Curiously jumping ahead quite a bit in time at number nine,
we have the last one. This is a much more
recent effort, his latest Yeah, and Billboard found this one
to be creatively stagnant, even though it's his newest project
and as they put it, potentially his farewell address to YSL.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Which is a stark contrast to that early experimental face
we're just talking about totally. Billboard highlighted things like underutilized features,
bars that felt recycled and simplified. Yeah, noting that Gunna
sounded sort of a sleep at the wheel for too
much of It's what twenty five tracks that's long it is.
The mood barely shifts out of this like relaxed gear,
(06:18):
and despite some highlights, most songs just kind of come
and go without much punch. He's largely rapping about fame, wealth,
the usual topics for him.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's interesting though, that a later project ranks so low
given the whole context, the rto trial, everything going on
personally for him. Then do you think Billboard's assessment of
stagnation might be missing something?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's a really good question.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Could it be like a deliberate, more subdued reflection of
his state or just a creative myths regardless?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Well, while some might argue it reflects his emotional state,
Billboard's critique really points to a lack of creative evolution
in the music itself. Got it The theme stayed familiar, right,
even if the underlying feeling might have been darker. It
felt more like a return to his comfort zone rather
than pushing into a new artistic direction. Okay, and that
can sometimes feel like stagnation, especially after a project like
(07:09):
a Gift in a Curse, which we'll get to.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right right, Okay. Moving to number eight is drip.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Or drown ah the EP Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
For Gunna's Day one fans, this is often considered the
project that truly started it all. It showed Gunna in
a far more polished.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
State, definitely more polished. His bars and flow were tighter
than anything on those first strip season Pais. Even so
some songs on Drip or Drown kind of meander aimlessly,
both lyrically and melodically, Like they pull a quote from
the song Award Hopped in the coup let the tesla
charge I keep a strap because I really be known
in interesting line.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. So, while it had its moments, it also highlights
where Gunna was truly starting to find his footing as
a rapper. You hear him locking into that signature cadence,
even if not every track quite hit the.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Mark yet makes sense at number seven we have Drip
season three.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Okay, back to the main series.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yep, this project, according to Billboard, was filled with all
the ingredients of a great rap project. The beats were
slippery and lush, really complementing his woozy flow, and.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
The production started getting really strong around then. Yeah, and
his ear for melody was significantly better on tracks like
Pedestrian and Hell of a Price. Plus features from Young
Thug and lil Uzivert added some welcome variety.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Sounds like a recipe for success. So with all those
strong elements, why do you think Billboard felt it didn't
quite stick the landing? What was missing?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That's the key question, right, it seems the ingredients were there,
but the final result didn't quite coalesce into something truly groundbreaking.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
For Billboard, the songs didn't really take enough creative or
emotive risks. They kind of fell back into Gunna's default
mode flexing about lavish wealth.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So improved execution, but maybe not enough ambition.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yeah, it felt like maybe a missed opportunity to elevate
the conversation despite the improvements. Okay. Landing at number six
is DS four eve er Now. This album spawned one
of Gunna's absolute biggest hits in Push.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And p Oh. Yeah, that track was everywhere to find
a moment like you said.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Totally and twenty five k Jacket really showcased that little
baby and Gunna's like tit for tat chemistry was still alive.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
And well they do work well together, they do yet.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Billboard also notes this as one of Gunna's most uneven albums.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Uneven huh, how so well?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
They stated he often sounds as he's on autopilot for
a lot of it out and that many of his
big guest collaborators Drake Future, Chris Brown, even Thugga all
kind of barry Gunna on his own songs.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Hmm. Is that a sign maybe he's still finding his
voice alongside those massive names, or perhaps a deliberate choice
letting the future shine. What do you think?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
That's tough balance, isn't it. You want those big features
for the hype, but you also need to assert your
own presence. Sometimes can feel like the features just take over.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, it's tricky, all right.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Coming in at number five, we have one of.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
One okay, another recent one.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah. This felt like Gunna's sort of back to business
album after the darker subject matter. He explored on a
Gift and a Curse.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Right, getting back to the familiar Gunna sound exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Songs like Dollar with Normani and Neck on a Yacht
definitely have that signature bravado that Gunn of fans connect with.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
There's always a butt with these middle rankings.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Huh, seems like it. Billboard pointed out that the bloated
twenty song track list mostly traverses familiar themes for Gunna.
Mm hmm, which they admit was kind of disappointing, considering
Curse implied something larger might have been shifting within his
creative world.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
So a return to form, but maybe too much of
a return.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, it's not that it's necessarily a bad album, but
maybe it just didn't bring enough new elements to the party.
After what seemed like a significant pivot, it felt like
maybe a step back into the comfort.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Zone, which critics often read as a lack of progression.
Fair or not right?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Okay, now we're moving up the ladder significantly. Number four
Drip or Drown two ah.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
The full album version. I remember this one.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Gunna really found some pockets of greatness here. While it
didn't hit the same commercial heights as some later projects,
it still racked up millions of streams and provided some
Gunna's tightest songs.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, I agree with that, Like on Three Headed Snake
with Thug. Yes, the pair just swerve over that wheezy
production effortlessly. Gunna follows Thug's lead, but it feels so synchronized,
almost like a torch was being passed.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That track really captured a moment, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It did, and it gave fans a taste of what
was coming with Little Baby on Derek Fisher plus Baby
Burkin really showed how Gunna's kind of syrupy delivery was
enough to carry a song all by himself. This one
felt like a definite step up, showing he could carry
a project with a tightened focus.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Agreed. Okay, now we're in the top three, landing at
number three. We have a gift and a curse.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Okay. This was a big one, contextually huge yea.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
As Gunna's a fi first day out release after his
Plea deal. He really branched out on this album in
a way he hadn't before.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Took a darker, more reflective approach right exactly, and it
gave him one of his biggest hits to date.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Fukumenin his voice sounds velvety smooth, but his flow sounds determined,
slightly vindictive even.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
And crucially he uses it to try and clear his
name of those snitching allegations on songs like Bread and
Butter and back at It. Yeah, this feels like the
closest Gunna has come to really stepping outside his comfort
zone and hearing him mind that difficult subject matter, especially
as the rap world seemingly turned against him. It's incredibly powerful.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Definitely, this project isn't just a collection of songs. It
feels more like a public diary, a raw response to
all that intense personal pressure.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
A necessary album for him at that moment.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Perhaps it seems like it. Okay number two, it's the
collaboration Drip Harder with Little Baby Ah the classic.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
This is considered an almost no Skip's masterpiece by many.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It really is. Collaborative projects are hard to pull off,
but Baby and Gunna just keep the tape alive by
almost competing at every turn.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, they push each other on Drip Too Hard.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Little Baby uses his great ear for melody, while Gunna
just kicks the door open with these rambunctious bars about
private planes and diamond boogers.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Ah. Yeah, the famous line I feel like a child,
I got boogers in the face, diamonds dancing in the
dial like this, this is a parade iconic. And then
on other songs like Belly and Businesses Business, the duo
take a smoother ride, just skating across glistening guitars and
ambient synths. Drip Harder marks such important moment, both in
Atlanta hip hop and for Baby and Gunna's careers individually.
(13:43):
It really felt like atl hip hop, which had felt
maybe a bit stagnant in twenty eighteen, was finally alive again.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
That's a significant legacy for a collaborative project huge, and
finally Billboard's top ranked gunn a project coming in at
number one. Wenna won h Okay after a whole slew
of solo projects with grand moments sprinkled throughout one to
emerge for them is his best and most consistent solo effort.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah. I can see that his flows are wound really
tight on this one. Every bar is enunciated clearly, and
his anecdotes are as charming as ever.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
They pull that line from Dolla's on my Head. I
put Prada on my caller because she's proud of what
I have said. I'm a leader. I got them following
with my footstuff like the.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Feds, delivered with that kind of glint in anxiety.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And while Gunna often treads through familiar territory girls, drugs, money,
expensive clothes, he does it on one with enough detail
to make you almost feel the fabrics and smell the cash.
It really encapsulates his signature sound at its absolute peak.
It's here we see the mastery of that less is
more approach he has, where his understated delivery in this vivid,
(14:47):
almost tactile descriptions become this powerful form of storytelling in themselves.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So if you kind of connect all this back to
the bigger picture, you really see an artist who at
his best perfected a very.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Specific lane, that melodic trap sound.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Right, had explosive collaborative chemistry, especially with Baby and Thug,
and then under Duress showed this surprising willingness to explore darker,
more personal.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Themes on a Gift in a Curse Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Before potentially maybe reverting to type on the latest project.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It's a really fascinating look at the pressures and pathways
of a modern music career, isn't it total. You see
the evolution, the high points, the collaborations, and those moments
where external forces undeniably shape the creative output. Each ranked
album isn't just separate. It's a chapter in this much larger,
still unfolding story.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
So what does this all mean for you listening? Well,
it means that even for artists who seem to stick
firmly to a lane, there are always deeper creative currents
and crucially external forces at play, always shaping every drip
and every curse in their catalog. The art is always
always more than just the beats in the rhymes. It's
a reflection of a life being lived.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, and thinking about that, given that the last one
felt creatively stagnant to Billboard, and Gunna's career is clearly
at this inflection point after the RCU trial and plea deal,
What does this whole catalog really tell us about his future?
If the last one truly is his last one on
YSL Records, What kind of artistic risks or transformations might
(16:19):
we see from him if he moves beyond those familiar themes,
beyond the label that help define his early success.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
That's the big question. And beyond that, how much does
an artist personal narrative, especially one so public and controversial
like Gunnas now is? How much does that inevitably bleed
into and maybe even dictate their creative output?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah? Is it even possible for an artist to fully
separate their art from their most challenging life experiences, especially
when it's all playing out so publicly.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Something to think about. Consider how the journey of just
one artist like Gunna can illuminate these broader trends in
music and that really complex relationship between personal life, public perception,
and creative expression.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
There's always more to discover when you take a deep
dive into the story behind the sound
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