Gunna - DS4EVER (2022)

Look no further than DS4EVER’s lead single “too easy” for a distillation of Gunna’s approach to crafting what he’s announced as the final installment of his Drip Season franchise. “It’s young Wunna and young Wheezy, man, this shit too easy,” the MC says on the chorus. For the large majority of DS4EVER, it is indeed the can’t-miss tandem of Gunna and Wheezy—production contributions from heavyweight producers Turbo, Metro Boomin, and Mike WiLL Made-It notwithstanding—and then a smattering of the MC’s favorite voices to round out 19 tracks of drip-god philosophy.

Present, of course, is YSL label head Young Thug, and then the rest of Gunna’s Atlanta-based superstar peers (Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage), who’ve all showed up to deliver some of the most inspired verses in recent memory. For his part, Gunna opens the book on himself, reflecting on the love he wants in his life (“poochie gown,” “you & me,” “missing me”), on how different his life is from that of the general public (“private island,” “how you did that,” “25k jacket”), and then also on what haunts him (“die alone,” “livin wild”). It’s a stellar entry into the series of mixtapes that both branded him and built his name as an MC, but also one that serves to reveal what lies beneath the drip.