Gunna
Gunna | |
|---|---|
 Gunna in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sergio Giavanni Kitchens[1] |
| Also known as |
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| Born | June 14, 1993 College Park, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | only1gunna |
Sergio Giavanni Kitchens (born June 14, 1993), known professionally as Gunna, is an American rapper and singer.[4][5] He is signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records.[6] He released his debut studio album, Drip or Drown 2 in 2019 and followed it up with his second studio album Wunna in 2020, which debuted atop the Billboard 200.[7] His third album DS4Ever was released in 2022, becoming his second consecutive number one album.[8][9]
Early life[edit]
Gunna was born in College Park, Georgia. He was raised by his mother and has four older brothers.[1] He started making music at age fifteen.[10] He grew up listening to Cam'ron, Chingy and Outkast, among others.[11] Gunna attended North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences and Langston Hughes High School. In 2013, Gunna released the mixtape Hard Body under the name Yung Serg.[10]
Career[edit]
2016–2018: Career beginnings and Drip Season series[edit]
Gunna was introduced to fellow rapper Young Thug through Keith "King" Troup, a mutual friend and community figure who died in December 2015. He was later featured alongside rappers Travis Scott and Gucci Mane on Thug's song, "Floyd Mayweather", from his commercial mixtape Jeffery.[11][12]
On October 14, 2016, Gunna released his debut mixtape Drip Season through YSL Records. It featured members from YSL, such as Young Thug, Lil Duke, and Nechie.[13] He released the mixtape Drip Season 2 on May 11, 2017. It featured many popular Atlanta and YSL artists such as Young Thug, Playboi Carti, and Offset. From the mixtape, "YSL", featuring Playboi Carti, was on a "Grand Theft Auto" radio station.[14][15] On November 30, 2017, he released his debut extended play Drip or Drown, in which his record producer and close friend Wheezy entirely produced it, with a sole guest appearance from Young Thug.[16]
On February 2, 2018, he released the commercial mixtape Drip Season 3. It featured notable guest appearances from Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Lil Durk, Nav, Metro Boomin, and Lil Yachty, while the deluxe edition featured additional appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Young Jordan, Young Thug, and Lil Baby. The regular and deluxe editions were simultaneously released together.[17]
On April 17, 2018, Gunna released a single titled "Sold Out Dates!" featuring Lil Baby, a close friend and frequent collaborator. The song became one of his mainstream recordings and received millions of streams on platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud. It was eventually released as a non-album single after leaks. On August 3, Gunna also appeared alongside Canadian rapper Nav on Travis Scott's single "Yosemite", a standout song from his third studio album, Astroworld, which happened to also be the highest-selling album of the year. The verse in the song, which was performed by Scott mimics Gunna's verse in "Sold Out Dates". The majority of the song's popularity went towards Gunna's appearance on the chorus.
On September 12, 2018, Gunna and Lil Baby released a collaborative single "Drip Too Hard", which would turn out as the lead single of their collaborative mixtape Drip Harder. The single peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13] The mixtape was released on October 5. It featured guest appearances from Lil Durk, Nav, Young Thug, and Drake. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200.[13]
2019: Drip or Drown 2[edit]
On February 1, 2019, Gunna released the single "One Call", which was certified platinum and serves as the lead single of his debut studio album, Drip or Drown 2. On February 11, he released the second and final single, "Speed it Up". The album was released on February 22, featuring guest appearances from fellow Atlanta rappers Lil Baby, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti, and charted at number three on the 200 Chart.[18]
On August 16, 2019, he was featured on Young Thug's single "Hot" from the latter's debut studio album, So Much Fun. The song peaked at the number-one spot on Apple Music. The song was given a remix with an extra feature on a verse from Travis Scott on October 31 (Halloween), because of which the song eventually peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[19] Gunna is also featured on "Surf" from the album, as well as "Diamonds" from the deluxe version, the latter which was released in December 2019.
2020-2022: Wunna, DS4EVER and Slime Language 2[edit]
In February 2020, Gunna was featured on three songs. He appeared on Pop Smoke's "Dior" remix, released on February 12. He was also featured on Marlo's "My Hood" alongside Roddy Ricch and London on da Track on A Boogie wit da Hoodie's song "Numbers", both released on February 14. Gunna later released a collaborative single with Nav, titled "Turks", featuring Travis Scott. The song was released on March 27, 2020, and serves as the lead single to Nav's third studio album, Good Intentions (Gunna is also featured on the track "Codeine" from the album). "Turks" marks the second time the three artists had collaborated on the same song following Scott's song "Yosemite". Six days later, on April 2, 2020, he released a collaborative track with producer Turbo and Young Thug, titled "Quarantine Clean", referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 6, 2020, he released "Skybox", the lead single of his second studio album, Wunna. It was released with an accompanying music video.[20] On May 18, 2020, Gunna released the title track of the album, which was the second single. Four days later, on May 22, Gunna released the album[21] It features guest appearances from Young Thug, Nechie, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, and Travis Scott. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming his first number one album.[22] On July 24, 2020, he released the deluxe edition, with eight more songs, featuring additional guest appearances from Yak Gotti, Future, Nav, and Lil Uzi Vert.
On August 14, 2020, Gunna and hip hop collective and record label Internet Money released the single "Lemonade", featuring Don Toliver and Nav.
On April 16, 2021, Gunna released a collaborative album with Young Thug and their record label Young Stoner Life titled Slime Language 2.[23]
On January 7, 2022, Gunna released his third studio album, DS4Ever, which is the fourth and final installment in his Drip Season series. The album features guest appearances from Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Drake, Kodak Black, Chlöe, Lil Baby, G Herbo, Nechie, Chris Brown, Yung Bleu, and Roddy Ricch.[24]
Philanthropy[edit]
In February 2022, Gunna teamed up with sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company Goodr to open a free grocery store at Ronald E. McNair Middle School, which he attended as a teenager.[25]
Legal issues[edit]
In May 2022, Kitchens and Young Thug were among 28 persons associated with YSL who were charged in a 56-count Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment.[26] On May 11, 2022, Kitchens turned himself in and was booked on a charge of Conspiracy to violate a RICO Act.[27]
Discography[edit]
- Drip or Drown 2 (2019)
- Wunna (2020)
- DS4Ever (2022)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kochhar, Nazuk (October 25, 2017). "Gunna wants you to go out and get it". The Fader. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ↑ @1GunnaGunna (March 17, 2020). "Wunna - Wealthy Unapologetic Nigga Naturally Authentic ‼️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Gunna Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ↑ Martin, Annie (January 21, 2022). [upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/01/21/Gunna-performs-Empire-Tonight-Show-Jimmy-Fallon/4691642777305/ "Gunna performs 'Empire' on 'The Tonight Show'"] Check
|url=value (help). UPI. Retrieved 16 July 2022. - ↑ Aderoju, Darlene (2022-02-15). "Gunna & Chloe Feel the Love in Valentine's Day-Released 'You & Me' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ↑ Bundy, Will (November 16, 2016). "Young Thug Has Apparently Launched His Own Label, YSL Records. Some of Gunna's top Billboard hits include "Drip Too Hard", "Never Recover" and "Space Cadet"". The Fader. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ↑ Johnson, Patrick (May 12, 2020). "Gunna Announces 'Wunna' Album Release Date With New Documentary Trailer". HypeBeast. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ↑ Caulfield, Keith (2022-01-18). "Gunna Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'DS4Ever'". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ↑ Breeze, Julian Denizard | The. "Thankfully, 'Wunna' isn't the worst project Gunna has released". The Breeze. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lee, Christina (October 22, 2018). "Gunna Speaks His Success Into Existence". XXL. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Coe, Kairi (February 16, 2018). "The Break Presents: Gunna". XXL. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ↑ Hussein, Wandera (February 14, 2018). "Buzzing Atlanta Rapper Gunna Talks 'Drip Season 3,' Working With Young Thug & Meeting Wyclef Jean". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Peisner, David (December 12, 2018). "Chartbreaker: How Gunna Went From 'Only Knowing Struggle' to Having Nine Hot 100 Hits". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ↑ Minsker, Evan (December 12, 2017). "Frank Ocean Launches "Grand Theft Auto" Radio Station: JAY-Z, Panda Bear, Aphex Twin, More". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ↑ Kochhar, Nazuk (June 1, 2017). "Gunna rules, and here's the proof". The Fader. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ↑ "Gunna & Wheezy's "Drip Or Drown" EP Has Arrived". HotNewHipHop. November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ↑ Renshaw, David (February 2, 2018). "Listen to Gunna's Drip Season 3 project". The Fader. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ↑ Saponara, Michael. "Gunna Announces 'Drip or Drown II' Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Young Thug". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ↑ "Watch Gunna's Balloon Voyage Video for New Song "Skybox"". Pitchfork. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ↑ "Stream Gunna New Album 'Wunna' Here". Siachen Studios. May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ↑ Caulfield, Keith (May 31, 2020). "'Wunna' Wins: Gunna Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ↑ "Young Thug announces release date for 'Slime Language 2'". NME. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
- ↑ "Gunna shares Drip Season 4 tracklist and features". The Fader. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- ↑ Aniftos, Rania (February 2, 2022). "Gunna Opens Free Grocery Store in Former Atlanta Middle School". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ↑ Shifferaw, Byabel. "Young Thug and Gunna Arrested Amid 56-Count Indictment for 28 YSL Members Involving RICO Charges (Update)". Complex. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ↑ Henni, Janine. "Rapper Gunna Booked on Charge of Conspiracy to Violate RICO Act After Young Thug's Arrest". People. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
External links[edit]
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