Gunna “a Gift & a Curse” Album Review

a Gift & a Curse

Six months after being released from prison in the YSL RICO case, Gunna is back with a brand-new album that was unannounced and received little to no promotion. To put it mildly, there has been a lot going on in his personal life, but he has chosen to remain silent in public and instead to express everything through the music.

“a Gift & a Curse,” Sergio Giavanni Kitchens’ 15-song project that was released a year and a half after his No. 1 album ‘DS4Ever’ and was entirely inspired by his own thoughts, is devoid of any features. Gunna makes certain that his lyrical content is as genuine as it gets. When combined with his already catchy melodies, you get gold. The album as a whole seems honest, authentic, urgent, and true to where the Atlanta rapper is in life right now.

Album Cover Art

Gunna’s head is painted on the cover of his new project. And on his head rests another head, or well, its bone framework. The artist behind this painting knows their onion so well they help us get a pictorial representation of Gunna’s mind in this album. Looking closely behind the rapper’s face sketch, there’s a looming thick darkness that comes from the pain and survivor’s guilt. However, while he goes through the motions and dresses his wounds, the diamonds on him never stop dancing.

Tracks and Features

The Turbo-produced trap rock opener, “back at it,” talks about how he can’t be stopped now that he’s at home, while “back to the moon” has a more delicate vibe to it and tells people not to fuck with him to stop doing what he does. Over a booming trap rhythm, “idk no more” talks about not trusting anyone at all, while “paybach” addresses people who have abandoned him.

After that, “ca$h $hit” moves on with a moody trap ballad devoted to the paper before transitioning into “fukumean,” which combines woodwinds, keyboards, and hi-hats while adamantly singing about being in good spirits at the end of the day despite everything that has happened. Just before “bottom,” which talks about starting from nothing over a symphonic trap instrumental, “rodeo dr” returns to a more trillwave approach with braggadocio-laced lyrics.

While “born rich” takes a more futuristic perspective with the beat provided by Larrance Dopson of the west coast production team 1500 or Nothin’, “p angels” takes a more traditional approach with the beat explaining having to swerve because they were all in his lane. While “bread & butter” was a good choice for a single with its groovy trap production talking about doing whatever you have to do for money, “go crazy” is another piano/trap crossover claiming that real life is deeper than rap.

The song “turned your back” has a wavier tone sonically admitting that he hasn’t found his peace yet, while the concluding tune “i was just thinking” focuses on times when he was stubborn & everything that could have been prevented over an acoustic guitar with some hi-hats of course. On the other hand, “alright” closes the album on a moodier note, promising that everything will be fine when all is said and done.

Tracklist

Track Number	Song Title
1	Back at it
2	Back to the moon
3	Idk nomore
4	Paybach
5	Ca$h $hit
6	Fukumean
7	Rodeo dr
8	Bottom
9	P angels
10	Born rich
11	Go crazy
12	Bread & butter
13	Turned your back
14	I was just thinking
15	Alright

Album Theme

He writes of overcoming obstacles, having people turn on him, battling false narratives, and saying goodbye to individuals he thought were on his side throughout “a Gift & a Curse.” He also exhibits a ton of flexing, demonstrating to the public that nothing your favorite artist has said about him has affected his way of life.

Production Credits

88Krazy, Angelo, Aviator Keyyz, Ayo Sim, Cam Griffin, CuBeatz, Dunk Rock, EVRGRN, Florian “Flo” Ongonga, Fresh Ayr, Ghetto Guitar, Kenny Stuntin, Klimperboy, LNKmusic, Mario Petersen and many other producers contributed to the albums production.

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