Gunna's "WUNNA" Proves to be a Stagnation Compared to Previous Projects
Coming off his continuous run of being one of the most requested artists for a feature in the game, rapper Gunna is back with his first project of this decade titled “WUNNA.” For the most part, what we know about Gunna is cemented, a rapper who relies on his cadence and flow to cultivate a sense of chill on all his tracks. However, what is Gunna’s secondary sound? How versatile is he? These are questions that for the most part have gone unanswered, however, hopefully “WUNNA” is where we will find the answers we need.
The 50-minute project is comprised of 18 tracks featuring Young Thug on two songs, Nechie, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, and Travis Scott. Is “WUNNA” heat or trash? Let’s find out!
Categories
The songs on this album divided into two lanes that are prevalent throughout the project and scored on a 1.5 scale. (0 = trash, .5 = not for me, 1 = good, 1.5 = a standout)
Classic Wunna
Gunna uses his naturally chill cadence and effortless flow to glide on melodic bass-driven beats.
• “ARGENTINA” (1)
• “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” ft. Young Thug (1.5)
• “ADDY” ft. Nechie (1)
• “SKYBOX” (1)
• “WUNNA” (1)
• “BLINDFOLD” ft. Lil Baby (1)
• “MET GALA” (.5)
• “NASTY GIRL/ON CAMERA” (1)
• “COOLER THAN A BITCH” ft. Roddy Ricch (1)
• “I’M ON SOME” (.5)
• “TOP FLOOR” ft. Travis Scott (.5)
• “DON’T PLAY AROUND” (.5)
• “DO BETTER” (1)
• “FAR” ft. Young Thug (1)
Turnt Up Gunna
Gunna breaks away from his melodic beat/chill cadence formula experimenting with bass dominated beats.
• “GIMMICK” (0)
• “MOTW” (.5)
• “FEIGNING” (1)
• “ROCKSTAR BIKERS & CHAINS” (.5)
The Standouts
The songs that would give the best overview of the album as a whole. Songs that stand out for reasons to be described in the pending descriptions of the songs.
“DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” ft. Young Thug
Produced by Mike WiLL Made-It and Myles Harris, track five on Gunna’s “WUNNA” starts off with a calming, almost lullaby sounding piano melody before the soft bass and high-hat pattern comes in to complete the beat. Throughout the song we hear Gunna and Young Thug complement each other, using different flows in the midst of their verses and complimenting the chill vibe of the beat.
“NASTY GIRL/ ON CAMERA”
Track twelve on “Wunna” starts off soft string melody paired with a lagging bass. This first half of the beat is produced by Wheezy, as Gunna raps fast throughout the first beat on this song, before a beat switch occurs and Taurus takes over for the second beat on the second half of this song. On the second half of the song Taurus uses a soft horn and synth to establish a different melody while using a lagging bass similar to the first half of the song. On this half, Gunna keeps his fast rapping momentum making this a complete song. Also earning producer credits on this song is Thank You Fizzle.
Final Review
Gunna’s “WUNNA” is an overall stagnation from his previous project “Drip or Drown 2.” For fourteen out of the eighteen tracks, Gunna stuck with using his soft cadence over beats that were either well balanced or leaning more towards the melodic side. Nothing to knock about this strategy as this is where Gunna has made his money over the past few years, with the level of comfort that Gunna has felt on those types of beats being evident since the first time I heard him rap. However, my challenge to Gunna would simply come in the form of a question. What is your second lane? For four tracks on this project we heard Gunna attempt to experiment with more aggressive beats while struggling to match the energy each beat put forth. With this being considered, Gunna’s music has proven to be one dimensional, while still being really good it’s only a matter of time before audiences get bored with Gunna’s style. The production on “WUNNA” was mostly done by either Wheezy, Turbo, or a dual effort between the two producers who ended up with credits on thirteen tracks combined. However, it was the beat on “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” produced by Mike WiLL Made-It and Myles Harris that takes home the award for the best beat on this project. The features did their job on this project with the best feature being Young Thug on “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD.” Roddy Ricch’s presence on “COOLER THAN A BITCH” was an aspect that stood out to me as well. Overall, “WUNNA” is a solid project that shines a brighter light on questions about Gunna’s versatility.
Scoring
Raw Score: The number of good songs on a project versus the overall amount. Songs must have a 1 or above to be counted.
Quality Score: The total amount of points accumulated over the total amount of songs.
Playback value: The resonance an album is perceived to have if played again in full. Scale out of 5.
Raw Score: 11/18
Quality Score: 14.5/18
Playback Value: 3/5
