Our Take: 1/5
DS4EVER is Gunna’s third full-length studio album. Building off the success from what started as a mixtape in 2016, it has been said that the drip season era will come to a close with this album.
Based on past projects, fans had a clear idea of what to expect. The lifestyle, the triplet flows, the hypnotic melodies and grandiose production. Gunna knows his sound and how to stay in the lane Young Thug paved.
However, this album is both too much and not enough at the same time.
Gunna sounds like he does want to change, but he has gotten sonically complacent. One can ultimately only release the same song a few times before fans notice — listening to DS4EVER in a void, it is difficult to tell where one song ends and where another begins.
However, rather than refining the sound or improving on nuances, Gunna dives further into the hole. He is monotonous, the mixing sounds rough and the psychedelic experience other projects delivered were not found at all.
There is not a need to start from scratch, undergoing a transition akin to Young Thug’s, however, identifying issues within oneself as an artist to further develop good media is the bare minimum to be expected. Yes, he is not a traditional rapper, but melodic rap has grown since 2016, and it seems like Gunna is going in the wrong direction.
Lyrics have seemed to have eluded Gunna in recent albums, but with statements like “I nutted all over her face, and now she looks like a cow,” songs are even less cohesive.
More importantly, statements like these force listeners to do a double-take, ruining any vibes that were previously set.
However, even if all metrics indicate DS4EVER as a subpar album, the marketing behind the album must be applauded.
With a star-studded feature list, Gunna had no lack of eyes willing to assist. Lil Baby made an appearance on “25k jacket” to remind everyone of Gunna and Baby’s joint track “Drip Harder” and of their wonderful back and forth chemistry. Young Thug is featured on several songs including “pushin P.”
Other big artists like Drake, Future and 21 Savage are also featured on a few songs.
With such a large, united fan base; the album was an inevitable success. However, following the recipe perfectly can only ensure the meal can be made the same or worse quality, rather than the best. Gunna understood the concepts of what makes a good album excluding the actual songs on it.
Pushing P has become a cultural phenomenon, virtually overnight. Gunna explains its use during the interview with the Breakfast Club “it’s primarily used in a positive way — if you wake up to a beach view, that’s P. If you spent thousands on a Rolex watch, that’s P. If you do something bad or stupid, though, that’s not P.”
The real heroes for this album were the producers. Mike WiLL Made-It, Metro Boomin, Wheezy and others who ensured the trap beat never let down and gave ample scaffolding to even make Gunna sound good.
For a story eight years in the making, the conclusion to Drip Season was lackluster and pitiful at best. Gunna has the recipe and now just needs the finesse associated with it.