Atlanta native Young Thug and protégée Gunna give us Gunna’s first album after releasing a slew of mixtapes, which were collaborations with rapper Lil Baby. “Drip or Drown 2” is the next installment of Gunna’s  “Drip or Drown EP,” which was released in Nov. 2017.  “Drip or Drown 2,”  the 16 track album, has Gunna displaying the best version of himself. Gunna stands to separate himself, and have a different sound from his labelmate and mentor Young Thug. Gunna makes his stance heard that he can be the next on the list of up and coming rappers from Atlanta. Following in the success of fellow artists such as Future, Migos and Lil Yachty.

Wheezy Beats, is the producer behind the production for most of the album. He does an amazing job at linking Gunna’s melodic voice with his luxury style of rap. Wheezy Beats is serving it to us on a hot plate. The devil is behind the details because Young Thug is also an executive producer of the album. But, make no mistake here, this is not Young Thug dressed up as Gunna, but more of Gunna is calling the plays while Thug is assistant coach.

The entirety of “Drip or Drown 2” has great cohesion  from one track to the next, and unique production on each of the beats.  Each beat handpicked for Gunna’s flow that is extremely catchy, eloquent but not deep, his lyrics don’t need a Harvard dictionary. Every line is direct, and his melodies mixed with his light but gritty vocals flows amazingly to the ear. Gunna provides great lyrical synch with his voice, which we can thank Drake for.  Just as Drake, Gunna  is able to balance melodic lyrics that make it hard to tell if he’s singing his whole verses or rapping them. This technique Gunna has mastered and is his bread and butter of the album.This technique provides the listener with a great sound that is becoming a new style of music especially for the south and Gunna will soon be leading the pack.  

Gunna demonstrates his ability to move fluidly on each track and not go out of his comfort zone which is expressed on the song “Outstanding” as Gunna raps effortlessly

“ I bought her Sheneneh heels, I’m a Chanel bandit /I still got vintage garments old as my granny /Got my interior almond and outside candy”

Gunna continues to impress, as he can slip in and out of verses that are catchy and provide lyricism that are full of luxury but is still witty and straight edge. Overall, “Drip or Drown 2” provides us with a solid piece of work hat is different from his mixtape days with Lil Baby. The biggest critique of the album is the songs can be to closely similar to one another and Gunna seems to have found his sound and taste for Wheezy Beats. The album lacks a certified hit and a stand-alone single that steps aside from the rest of the songs.