TIA: Of all the rappers coming out of Atlanta, two of its most notable exports are
Gunna and Young Thug.
TIA: Over the years, the pair became both musical collaborators as well as labelmates
on Young Thug’s own YSL Records, and together have given fans plenty of bangers.
TIA: While many fans see Gunna as Young Thug’s protege, they were connected way before they
ever rapped together, thanks to a close mutual friend.
GUNNA: Like a uncle of mine named True.
When he died it just brought us closer together.
Made us, like family.
TIA: They met for the first time on the set of Young Thug’s 2015 music video, “With That.”
And if you look closely, you can see a young Gunna make a cameo in the background.
GUNNA: Me and my brother we pulled down there he was just chillin we really just pulled
up to make sure he was good cuz he was in our neighborhood.
He ended up shooting the "With That" video that same day and that was the day I met him.
THUG: Gunna been around me six, seven years he in some of my old videos y’all won’t
even know it’s him.
TIA: A year later, Young Thug dropped his ‘JEFFERY’ album, and with it introduced
Gunna to an audience outside Atlanta with his verse on “Floyd Mayweather.”
TIA: Meanwhile, Gunna was honing in on his own rap skill, and two months later dropped
his debut mixtape ‘Drip Season’ with a feature from none other than Young Thug on
“Cop Me A Foreign.”
GUNNA: It was never on no music shit at first we was just like friends like homeboys in
the street and it just grew over time of me just doing my music and he just had to look in on it and help.
TIA: The following year in 2017, Gunna continued the series with ‘Drip Season 2,’ where
Thug was featured on tracks like “Secure The Vibe.”
TIA: Thugger’s own projects that year, like ‘Beautiful Thugger Girls,’ had yet another
Gunna feature on the country-inspired “Tomorrow Til Infinity.”
TIA: As well as later in the year with their collaboration on ‘Drip Or Drown’s'
"Don't Play With It.”
GUNNA: I lock in with Thug, he blessed me just blessings just coming so I don’t take
nothing for granted.
TIA: Gunna’s success did not go unnoticed.
In March, Gucci Mane took to Twitter to offer to sign Gunna to his own label, 1017 Records,
for $1 million.
But Young Thug was quick to jump in and remind him where Gunna’s team really is.
THUG: He always been 1000% but when it come to really being 1000% and standing for family
only, family first, God then family, I raised him on that.
TIA: 2018 proved to be one of the biggest years for Gunna, both in terms of his own
success and his collaborations with Thug.
He was featured on four different songs off Thugger’s ‘Slime Language:’ “Chanel,”
“Scoliosis,” “Chains Choking Me,” and “Dirty Shoes.”
TIA: As far as Gunna’s own projects, we heard Thug on both “King Kong” and “Oh Okay"
off ‘Drip Season 3.’
TIA: As well as a feature on Gunna’s collaborative project with Lil Baby, ‘Drip Harder.’
TIA: So far 2019 has been successful for both artists.
Gunna landed a spot in the XXL Freshman Class and dropped ‘Drip or Drown 2’ with a cameo
from Thug on “3 Headed Snake.”
TIA: And besides their features on each other's songs, the duo's paired up for collabs on
other people's too. Like Rich The Kid's "Fall Threw," Future's "Unicorn Purp," and Mustard's "Woah Woah."
Just to name a few.
TIA: In August, Young Thug dropped his first #1 album ‘So Much Fun’ that featured
the duo collaborating on "Surf..."
and on the orchestral track “Hot.”
TIA: According to Thug, the track, which Gunna had recorded while Thug was asleep, only ended
up on ‘So Much Fun’ after Gunna asked to keep it for himself and Young Thug refused, saying:
TIA: By the numbers, “Hot” could be their
most successful collaboration yet, debuting at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And if fans are hype for what they’ve done together so far, according to Gunna the pair
definitely have some more heat in the vault.
How much music y’all got together that we haven’t heard?
Albums?
GUNNA: No cap.
We been cooking up. Got some vibes.
You think you’re gonna drop a joint project?
Yeah for sure.
TIA: I’m Tia with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.