YSL’s comeback came as a complete surprise in mid-June, and Gunna‘s post-prison album, a Gift & a Curse, is the reason for it.
Earning No. 1 berths for his hit track “fukumean” on both Spotify and Apple Music, the DS4 rapper has climbed back into the good graces of listeners. The music always speaks for itself, as “fukumean” is now the most streamed song in the country (as of July 17) on Spotify and is the first rap song to do so since April. a Gift & a Curse debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 85,000 first-week units, according to Hits Daily Double.
Amid its success, Gunna is set to headline a pair of shows this Fall: “The Gift” at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sept. 9 and “The Curse” at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 28. These will be Gunna’s first performances in over two years. More details on tickets are available here.
Since his release from prison in December 2022, Gunna has been deemed an industry outcast due to claims of him snitching on YSL. While he was granted release, Young Thug remains jailed, whose album BUSINESS IS BUSINESS dropped just one week after his protégé’s. Gunna addresses this on a Gift & a Curse several times, most notably on the project’s lead single “bread & butter.”
Other lines on “ca$h $hit” and the introspective “i was just thinking” reassert Gunna’s remorse for Thug’s situation, implying he would never switch on his big brother. “That’s four walls talkin’ to you, tellin’ you you gone / Only I done cried, ’cause this feelin’ for my bro (King Slime),” Gunna raps on the latter. “And you know my mind, you done watched that n***a grow / Know you hear the lies, it’s your lil’ brother, my folk / Yeah, I had popped out, but don’t let ’em say I told.”
Sharing visuals to fan-favorites “back to the moon,” “idk nomore,” “i was just thinking” and “alright” — which ends calling action to“FREE JEFFREY” — Gunna’s comeback showcases that no matter the “curse,” music will reign supreme — regardless of the quote-unquote snitching allegations. He speaks on these promptly in the aforementioned tracks, dropping the new record days after his 30th birthday with roaring praise from fans.
Touting 15 tracks and no features, Gunna flexes his power in peak form amid a year-long drought from the mic.
Check out “a Gift & a Curse” below!
