Review Series: XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2019 - Gunna

-
This article is part of a review series covering XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2019. For reviewing purposes any content covered is exclusive to the artist's most recent or highest acclaimed work, with the latter taking precedence.

The first time I saw Gunna he was resplendent in an orange, designer suit, figuratively leading his surrounding classmates in XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2019 announcement. His sense of style immediately apparent, I was drawn in and decided he would be the first artist of the announcement I would cover. In fact, I spent my time collecting the various projects I needed for this reviews series listening to Drip or Drown 2, and to be honest I was hooked by the third track, "One Call".

Gunna is a Georgian native who cites Cam'ron and Outkast as two major influences and he embodies that fairly well. If you mashed Big Boi and Andre 3000 into one person, for example, you would probably end up with Gunna. That's not to say he's simply taken component parts of his favorite artists and formed an identity around them, of course. His style sets him apart but his melodic, steady flow cements that individuality. He's not an amalgamation, he's an evolution.

With backing from Young Thug and access to Turbo and Wheezy for production you'd think Gunna would ride those coattails to victory and, truthfully, he probably could, but that's not enough for him. He's working on his own fashion line (whose name has yet to be released) while continuing his musical work now through his inclusion in XXL's Freshman Class.

It's a well-earned mantle; Drip or Drown 2 is loaded with potential hits. It's not perfect, as few first outings often are, but with tracks like "Richard Millie Plain" and beats like those on "Yao Ming", it's difficult to make an argument that this work is one you can ignore. You can expect to keep hearing his name for a long time.

Gunna is just the first in a stout list of heavy hitters in this review series, but he's a very apropos primary. He well embodies the aesthetic and mindset of his classmates: confident, unique, and ready to fuck up the game.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Centrists

-
Image
In the wake of Joe Biden being declared presumptive president-elect and four of the most ruthless, combative, and generally disdainful years in modern US history, there has unsurprisingly been push back from the losing team while the winners gloat. It varies from group to group but what I want to address is the notion that those who oppose Trump should somehow show deference or literally a modicum of kindness to those who back(ed) him.     Under normal circumstances I would agree that, when in doubt, it's best to operate by the Golden Rule, "Treat others how you would like to be treated." It's served many people well thus far and I don't expect it to ever falter. It stokes a worldview of inclusion and fairness, assuming you're using it in good faith and not as justification for an "eye for an eye" attitude. It's a simple rule, easy to learn and easy to master, and is a universally agreed upon beacon for humanity's behavior. At times, though, ...
Read more

Review: The Outer Worlds (PC)

-
Image
Let's get this out of the way right up front: It is both appropriate and inappropriate to say The Outer Worlds , the first-person scifi RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division, is Fallout in space. The core mechanics are largely similar, the dialogue system is very reminiscent of the Fallout series (save for Fallout 4 and the lifeless, emaciated husk that is Fallout 76 ), and the unique weaponry all smack of what we know and love as Fallout . HOWEVER, I think what many people don't realize is that those traits aren't unique to Fallout , they're unique to a designer who helped create Fallout. Leonard Boyarsky, as far as the average gamer goes, doesn't get the celebrity he deserves. He made his mark at Interplay (eons ago in the ancient 1990s) as Art Director of the first Fallout game, pulling double duty as well polishing dialogue, and cemented that notoriety with his broad stroke involvement in nearly every aspect of Fallout ...
Read more

The Totem Attunement

-
Image
Patience was running out of it. When she decided to try and tame this beautiful, long-feathered, pink avian of The Swamp, she expected it to be quick. She had been waiting on the bird now for fifteen minutes and didn't have much more time to waste. It had hopped closer and closer but was very timid and soon she would be forced to come back for it later, if at all.   The bird hopped closer, now less than a foot from the pile of seed and herbs she'd poured on the rock. It was a specially mixed concoction that would first put the bird to sleep and then allow her to channel the spiritual connection between the two of them and cement the taming. She had used the last of her torparia, the herb that would lull the creature to sleep, so this was the only chance she'd have. It finally closed the distance to the feed and started to peck at it, timid at first but then voracious. Once the majority of the feed was gone to be sure the spell would take; it was always hard to gauge with s...
Read more