While heвЂ™s certainly not a clone to the level of Desiigner, heвЂ™s clearly drained just about every idea he has from hanging around Young Thug. We all watched Desiigner (however briefly) reach the apex of rap fame purely by practically tricking folk into thinking he was Future (seriously, how many people did you have to tell вЂњPandaвЂќ wasnвЂ™t, in fact, a Hendrix loosie?), all because he knew Kanye West and Pusha T.Д®nter Gunna. Sharks be damned, IвЂ™ll take a tentative flow enthralled by its own genesis over a bland succubi any day.ДЄlas, more than ever, hip hop has become a cliqued-up world in which the circles you travel in often matter far more than what you bring to the table. Subsisting by mimicry was decried well before Raekwon & Ghostface officially made it a Commandment with their aggrieved takedown on OB4CL. Who else can sound so unrelatable, materialistic, and superficial, and still remain charming? Only Gunna.For all the grief many old timers (read: hip hop fans aged 30 and up) give so-called вЂmumble rappersвЂ™, in actuality, the only rap crime that should be punishable by banishment is a lack of personality. Like вЂњIвЂ™m On Some,вЂќ where Gunna reflects about the moments he truly cherishes: a New York trip to buy baguette diamonds from celebrity jeweler Elliott Eliantte and purchasing his latest girlfriend liposuction just to brighten her mood. Yet itвЂ™s hard to not have fun when Gunna is telling posh tales in a rushed melody over Wheezy and Turbo beats that sound like an elevator ride up to a penthouse. The nearly four-minute two-parter вЂњNasty Girl/On CameraвЂќ is tiresome, and guest features by Roddy Ricch and Travis Scott seem like nothing more than formalities to juice streaming numbers. вЂњI ainвЂ™t tryna talk down вЂ™cause I know niggas be hardhead/ThinkinвЂ™ about how they put my brother in the ground, had to pour up more red,вЂќ wails Gunna, as it slides into a vulnerable territory he should go to more often.Д«ut, of course, at 18 tracks, there are moments when Gunna lapses into monotony. Followed by вЂњFar,вЂќ their second collaboration, a welcomed disruption, and a rare moment of introspection. вЂњDollaz on My HeadвЂќ is ripped by Thug and Gunna is smoothly rapping about spending a bag on Prada. Similarly, the album revolves around a pair of collaborations with Young Thug. Much like вЂњ Sold Out DatesвЂќ and вЂњ Drip Too Hard,вЂќ вЂњBlindfoldвЂќ is like hanging out with Gunna and Lil Baby as they partake in a fashion duel: Gunna has a new pair of Rick Owens jeans and Lil Baby canвЂ™t decide if he wants to lace up his Dior or Jordan sneakers. WUNNA hits a stride when it becomes a family affair. ItвЂ™s a simple line that could have been generated by a bot, but through sweet vocals, it becomes something more. вЂњItвЂ™s easy to slip, donвЂ™t want you to fall/Walk in with the drip at Met Gala ball,вЂќ he croons on the вЂњMet GalaвЂќ hook. Thanks to his bank of deliveries and melodies, his flexes stick. And then on the intro, вЂњArgentina,вЂќ he changes paces with ease. On the calm, Turbo-produced single вЂњWunna,вЂќ GunnaвЂ™s flow is patient, every word is emphasized. WUNNA is more than an endless barrage of boasts about his designer clothes and foreign whips the flows are crisper, his puns are more colorful, and the beats are pristine (new-age Atlanta beat-making royalty Wheezy and Turbo are mainly behind the boards). (Insanely, WUNNA is an acronym-вЂњWealthy unapologetic nigga naturally authenticвЂќ-and as you would expect he explained the title in an interview as, вЂњHonestly, I was just high, bro.вЂќ) On WUNNA, the 26-year-oldвЂ™s latest, Gunna has the heart and is the most engaged heвЂ™s sounded since his 2018 breakthrough, Drip Season 3. The difference between GunnaвЂ™s best verses and his worst is at the molecular level: The best are easily recitable and bring color to his lavish lifestyle the worst are basically the same except it just sounds like heвЂ™s going through the motions. Listening to a Gunna album or tape is easy and familiar, like turning on the television and landing on a marathon of your favorite sitcom. Among his Atlanta peers, heвЂ™s the most predictable. He shops, travels, hangs out with his rapper friends, and has few issues outside of what color Audemars Piguet watch he should wear on his wrist or if his new pair of Amiri jeans will fit nicely around his waist. GunnaвЂ™s lifestyle is less like a rapper and more like one of BravoвЂ™s Real Housewives.

Gunna albums