Gunna is something of a marvel as he takes on New York’s Gramercy Theater just four days after giving life to his new album Drip or Drown II. The concert in conjunction with TIDAL X gives much-needed context about the inner workings of the Atlanta rapper’s upcoming tour.
The 25-year-old’s drip fest began with the best of Billboard’s Hot R&B and Hip-Hop songs as Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and Blueface’s ‘Thotiana” insight uproar among crowd members. The smell of marijuana filtered into the 499 occupancy venue as baby hypebeasts rolled weed into brown papers. Talks of Casanova and Young Thug filled the air as Gunna emerged on stage.
Gunna, née Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, breezed through songs from the Drip Or Drown II tracklist as puffs of white smoke rise from huddled fans. Crowds of eager 20-somethings rapped along to the new music after sitting with the 16-track album for less than 96 hours. Making his way from “One Call” to “Speed It Up,” excitement bubbled as moshpits pushed supporters against the metal gates separating the stage from the crowd.
As “Chanel (Go Get It)” erupted from the speakers, Young Thug bursted onto the stage, raising the energy as he carried the performance to a close. Thugger, whose drip is equally as icy as his young protégé, delivered his own solo rendition of crowd favorites, prefacing his “Digits” performance with: “Y’all want me to do a song in this motherf**ker? Whassup?”
For a new artist, Gunna has a stage presence that leaves no end of the stage forsaken. The “Drip Too Hard” emcee swagged his way from one side to the other with ease as fans follow his every movement, snaking from left to right at his whim.
Gunna’s TIDAL X performance is the best part of Drip Or Drown II. With lofi, drug-induced melodies that lack the complexities of veteran trap artists, Gunna’s album has the potential to fall short when performed for a live crowd, but the charisma that oozes in his execution brings new life and energy for concertgoers.
The TIDAL X Gunna performance serves as a sneak peek for the rapper’s upcoming tour that begins on March 30 in Anaheim, Calif., before visiting Seattle, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Portland, Detroit, and other cities. The shows should be fire but know there will be white boys in the crowd who say the word “ni**a” like black people can’t hear them. If you’re cool with this, this is the event for you. Check out Live Nation‘s website to see if Gunna is coming to a city near you.