One of the prevailing narratives around hip-hop in 2023 has been its relative downturn in commercial success compared to past years. While that argument is true for top chart placements and such, to say that rap is “dying” would be a massive misconception. After all, there have been no shortage of massive tracks this year, and one of the genre’s most money-making artists just got beat out by an “underdog” story from a massive MC in his own right. Moreover, Gunna’s “fukumean” just recently beat out Drake’s “Search & Rescue” as the most streamed rap song from this year in the United States.
Considering the tight pull that both lyricists have over the game right now, this shouldn’t come as much surprise. Wunna’s album a Gift & a Curse prompted one of the most diverse discussion topics in rap, centered around his plea deal in the YSL RICO case. As for Drake, he dominates commercial metrics all the time, and getting past him is no easy task. With his upcoming album For All The Dogs releasing soon, maybe a cut from that (or a few) will reclaim this accolade.
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“fukumean” Versus “Search & Rescue”: Gunna Takes The Crown
Of course, thanks to the aforementioned controversy around his release, we haven’t seen these two link up in some time. Still, we can’t really say whether that’s explicitly because of Drake “picking a side” in the “snitching” conversation. In fact, most of the developments in that area revolve around gossip, bars open to interpretation, and very little from the actual artists. For example, despite all the ruckus, Gunna still gave Young Thug a birthday shoutout at his recent show. For now, all we can really take in as fans and listeners is the music itself, and in that regard, Wunna certainly made his mark this year.
Meanwhile, the 6 God will likely join that conversation of the best rap-adjacent albums of the year alongside a Gift & a Curse very soon. His recent single with SZA, “Slime You Out,” took more of an R&B direction, but there will probably be some killer verses on here. One thing’s for sure, though: don’t expect this to diminish “fukumean” or “Search & Rescue” on the aux for the rest of 2023. On that note, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Gunna and Drake.
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