Over the last few years, Gunna has seen a massive gain in popularity; at this point, he is one of the more notable Atlanta rappers. Although he was initially seen as just one of Young Thug’s protegees, Gunna really has carved out his own lane. He has worked with the likes of Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and Lil Uzi Vert, becoming one of the bigger figures in mainstream rap.
Before he was performing alongside friends such as Young Thug and Lil Baby, Gunna was an aspiring rapper from the outskirts Atlanta. He was born Sergio Giavanni Kitchens on June 14th, 1993, and raised primarily by his mother while looking up to his father and five brothers. Growing up, he listened to Young Thug, Future, T.I., and Outkast—all helping to strengthen his love for Atlanta’s style of music (he also looked up to the style, which is why he talks about drip).
In 2013, he released his first mixtape, Hard Body, under the alias of Young Gunna. The tape featured 14 tracks, with Gunna still searching for “his” sound. Following the tape’s release, he realized his musical potential and began to make more connections in Atlanta. In the mid-2010s, he began to roll with Young Thug, Lil Baby, and a slew of other ATL rappers—all helping him to further shape his sound and grow as an artist.
In 2016, he released his first mixtape under the name Gunna. Drip Season was released on October 16th, featuring fellow Atlanta-artists Duke and Young Thug. During that same year, he was seen on Thug’s track “Floyd Mayweather,” where he was able to keep up with Gucci Mane and Travis Scott (despite being somewhat new to the rap scene at the time). Once he signed to Thug’s YSL Records, he began to release more music, further developing his sound. In 2017, he released Drip Season 2, began working with Playboi Carti and Offset, and continued to make connections throughout Atlanta. He also released Drip Or Drown, which showed how well his sound was maturing, giving glimpses of the relaxed trap sound that he is known for today. He released the conclusion to the Drip Season series the following year (Drip Season 3 was released on February 2nd, 2018 and consisted of 17 tracks). On this tape, he began to work with more artists outside of Atlanta, teaming up with Lil Uzi Vert and Nav. This helped him work his way up the ladder in the music industry, putting more eyes on him.
Later in the year, he teamed up with Lil Baby for their “Sold Out Dates” track, both showing how well they can work together. Little did fans know, this was a precursor for Drip Harder (their collaboration mixtape released on October 5th, 2018). The tape featured “Drip Too Hard” and “Never Recover” feat. Drake, which helped push Gunna into the mainstream. Not only did fans see how well he worked with Lil Baby—who was also making a name for himself at the time—they took a massive liking to Gunna’s laid back, trap-oriented sound.
On February 22nd, 2019, Gunna released his debut studio album, Drip Or Drown 2. It featured 16 tracks, with the Atlanta rapper teaming up with only three artists: Lil Baby, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti. The album struck a chord with core fans, roping them in with brash 808s and back-to-back bars, coupled with manipulated synths to create an aquatic sound. This sound can be contributed to the drawn out, wavy production and entrancing vocals.
He further developed his sound on his second studio album, Wunna. Released on May 22nd, 2020, Wunna consists of 18 tracks and features Travis Scott, Roddy Ricch, and Young Thug. The album’s sound is primarily made of smoother 808s, synths, various vocal effects, and a Gunna who is much more comfortable with his sound. At the time, he was also coming off of co-signs from various rappers, including Lil Uzi Vert, who featured him on Eternal Atake. This further propelled Gunna into the mainstream, putting him a position he always wanted.
Gunna’s success story consists of years of hard work and determination. He consistently worked his way up the ladder while developing his sound at the same time. His constant hard work has propelled him into a lane of his own. He was once seen as Young Thug’s protegee;now, he’s developed his own sound and shown the world what he has to offer.
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