Gunna recently dropped his first official studio album, “Drip or Drown 2” — the sequel to his 2017 EP, “Drip or Drown.” Before the release, he had dropped the third and tenth tracks of the album as singles: “One Call” and “Speed It Up.”

Based on these first tastes of the album alone, these singles hinted that “Drip or Drown 2” wouldn’t reach the same level as Gunna’s previous projects.

Upon first listen, “Drip or Drown 2” seems to drown (pun intended) in oversaturated production and flows. Most of the 16 songs have very similar beats and rapping styles that can be chalked up to “that’s just the way Gunna raps.”

Despite this though, some songs on this album have decent replay value. Some memorable tracks include “Outstanding,” “Richard Millie Plain,” “Yao Ming,” “Derrick Fisher (feat. Lil Baby),” “Baby Birkin,” “3 Headed Snake (feat. Young Thug),” “Out The Hood” and “Who You Foolin.”

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What makes these tracks stand out is both their variation in beats and the fact they feel reminiscent of Gunna’s previous projects, especially “Drip Season 3” — arguably Gunna’s best and most popular project.

Half of the tracks are different than the rest, increasing their replay value. What makes these songs stand apart is Gunna’s vocal inflection paired with a variety of flows that seems to blend well with the tempo of his beats.

After listening to this album a couple of times, I realized a lot of it was filled with throwaway tracks. Theses throwaways tend to blend together in a way that they sound like the same song, with only slight deviation in the production and vocal tenacity.

Gunna is relying too heavily on his “clout privilege.” In essence, “clout privilege” is when artists who’ve risen to fame are able to release mediocre projects with the security that the public will like it just because it’s attached to their name.

Over the past two years, Gunna has rapidly gained popular media attention from both fans and fellow artists alike. His Atlanta-inspired cadence is prevalent, and his pairings with Young Thug and Lil Baby have contributed to this rise to fame.

But this rapid growth has possibly led Gunna into a realm of “clout privilege” that he hasn’t deserved just yet. One artist who has utilized his clout privilege is Drake. After taking years to gain global popularity, Drake is able to release projects like “Scorpion” that are also filled with a mix of throwaway and memorable tracks.

Gunna’s past projects have gained him popularity. The work produced within those projects deserve their praise and, ultimately, led him to where he is today. And now, he seems to be depending on this previously-earned glory to carry the success of his most recent album — without adequate tracks to back it up.

Published on March 4, 2019 at 10:04 pm