Photos courtesy of Jerritt Clark and Jesse Lirola
This fall, Gunna performed a string of shows to promote his fifth studio LP, One of Wun, effectively calling the pseudo-tour Wun of Dem Nights. After the final stop of his tour in LA, the Atlanta-based rapper performed at Amazon Music Live on November 14th. The Amazon-produced weekly streaming series hosts the biggest names in music, with past episodes featuring Halsey, J Balvin, and TWICE.
Upon entering the venue — an unassuming building on the outside, a huge warehouse on the inside — I was greeted by lively Amazon cheerleaders to wish me a great night and get me excited for what was to come. I walked down a tunnel decorated with the iconography of tonight’s artist, before entering a large space filled with bustling attendees and wall-to-wall activities. There was no shortage of activities in sight — Amazon invested in a photobooth, a football-throwing game, and a create-your-own merch station, complete with a large bar and concession stand featuring Gunna-themed snacks: “wunna wings” with “drip sauce”.
Past all the pre-show activities was the main stage surrounded by automated cameras live-streaming the event. As people trickled in, I noticed multiple live camera feeds showing backstage and the hallway leading to it, a cool addition for fans to see when Gunna was coming. The entry to the stage emulated a graveyard entrance, featuring a stone arch over a large gate, while the sides were adorned with flowers and stones. At the forefront of the stage stood a mic stand made out of skulls and roses. All decor seemed to reference the cover of Gunna’s fourth studio album, A Gift & A Curse.
Soon after, the band — complete with a trumpet player, guitarist, two drummers, and a keyboardist — took the stage. In conjunction with the hush of the crowd, the music began with horns, followed by an amalgamation of drums, synths, and guitar before fog descended onto the stage floor, the gates opened, and Gunna walked out. He began his set with “Him All Long” off A Gift & A Curse. The rapper marched around the stage in a studded leather jacket with breath control incomparable to any other performer.
After Gunna greeted the crowd, the familiar drums and synths of “one of wun,” the titular track off his newest album, began to play. During his verses, Gunna often switched between lower and higher registers to emphasize lyrics and effectively hype up the crowd. After a few more songs off of One of Wun — namely “whatsapp,” “prada dem,” and “on one tonight,” which had the walls shaking from the bass — the guitarist took charge to lead us into the next song. A guitar solo led into the familiar notes of Travis Scott’s “YOSEMITE.” Although the song appears on Scott’s album Astroworld, Gunna’s vocals were featured on the track’s chorus. Addressing the crowd, Gunna told us he “wants the right side first,” and came over to rap the song’s first verse before marching over to the left side. Possible delusion, but I swear I made eye contact with Gunna in helping him rap that first verse. The song ended how it began: with an iconic guitar solo playing off of the song’s melody.
Later, the rapper yelled, “Where my day one Gunna fans at?” because only the real ones would know the next song he played: “Pedestrian” off of 2018 mixtape Drip Season 3. Next up was one of Gunna’s most popular tracks, “Drip Too Hard,” which, upon hearing the first three seconds, caused the crowd to erupt in cheers. Soon after, an old style microphone wrapped in vines emerged from the ceiling and had Gunna planted center stage for his performance of “Top Off.”
The next song prompted the rapper to ask “Where my ladies at” just as the lighting around the stage turned pink (and yes I did scream very loud) and the intro horns to “P power” sounded off. As pink lights faded to yellow, the transition into the next song — which Gunna referred to as his “girl’s favorite” — toned down the crowd. He took a seat on the flower bed onstage to begin rapping “i was just thinking” over a plucked guitar melody. Keeping the vibes mellow, Gunna continued with “turned your back” where he showcased his smooth and emotive singing skills.
In the final act of his show, Gunna showed us he could not close out on a calm note. Another one of his hits, “Drip or Drown,” brought the excitement back and got the crowd rocking. A drum solo finished off the song before the beat of Young Thug’s “Hot,” featuring Gunna, began playing. Fitting to the song’s theme, all of the screens displayed footage of fire and explosions, while smoke obscured the stage floor.
Next, all instrumentals stopped as Gunna rapped a verse from “Pushin p” solo before transitioning into his other classic “fukumean.” There were many phones in sight recording the performance to this iconic track, yet Gunna had other plans, instead encouraging the audience to “put their middle fingers up.” Following his own orders, he ended the song by showing a big middle finger to the crowd (I forgave him).
After an hour of song after song, the rapper took a break to breathe and address the crowd. He preached, “Anything you want, any goal you set in life, you can reach it. All you gotta do is manifest it, I swear to God,” alluding to his next and final track “THIS YEAR (Blessings) [Remix]” with Victor Thompson. Once again, Gunna proved that he is not only a talented rapper, but also a great singer. After the song’s conclusion, Gunna addressed the audience one final time: “Love for life. I’ll see y’all soon — thank y’all.”
Over a decade of making music, Gunna continues to ascend, proving himself first as one of the best rappers out of Atlanta to one of the best rappers overall. The versatility he showed during this performance — with singing, breath control, and continuing to fuse musical elements to represent his songs in new ways — is a true testament to this. As I exited the studio and waited for my ride on a cold, dark street in Glendale, I found myself eagerly contemplating Gunna’s next move towards stardom.
