SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GUNNA – DRIP OR DROWN 2

Gunna
Drip Or Drown 2
Young Stoner Life/300 Entertainment

Following critically acclaimed releases Drip Season 3 and Drip Harder, Gunna finally arrives with his debut album Drip or Drown 2. The 16-track release adds a few notable gems to the Atlanta emcee’s list of hits, however, it is met with some criticism in regard to the artist risking stagnancy in his flow.

Gunna lives up to his name as Young Thug’s protégé by mumbling auto-tune blurred words over earworm inducing beats in a melodically calm, yet enthusing, manner. The hypnotic sound, consistent throughout the project, is also due to Gunna’s strong production team – Wheezy and Turbo – with at least one of the duo being present on every song. The highlights of this album can be seen in tracks like “Wit It” – a strong hard-hitting intro which immediately lays out a road map for the entire project. “Richard Millie Plain” highlights Gunna’s ability to rap over melodic guitar riffs, a unique and beloved trait of the rapper. “3 Headed Snake” is the strongest track on the album, pitting Young Thug and Gunna rapping bar for bar in near perfect harmony.

While this project highlights what Gunna does best, it lacks in not going beyond that. The 16 tracks embody Gunna’s signature flow but do not experiment or test the rapper’s capabilities. After having such a successful 2018 with Gunna’s style being encompassed on works from Travis Scott to Metro Boomin, this project needed some sort of experimental/fresh nature to stand out as an exemplary piece of work.

Drip or Drown 2 highlights Gunna’s mesmerizing and hypnotic bars, however, it lacks the evolution and growth Gunna needed to deem it a contemporary classic.

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