The scorecard
6.5/10 · Good
- Writing25%
- 5.5
- Production25%
- 7.5
- Delivery15%
- 7.0
- Cohesion15%
- 6.0
- Originality10%
- 6.0
- Replay value10%
- 6.5
Lines like "She made me bust a nut, that's a starburst" sit next to confusingly profound attempts at depth; the imagery is mostly luxury goods without specificity or stakes.
Turbo and Wheezy build gentle, atmospheric beats with texture and restraint, though the soft mix flattens dynamics and the formula grows predictable across sixteen tracks.
Gunna's melodic flow maintains control in the pocket but never varies his inflection or energy, leaving the guest verses to provide all the contrast.
Sixteen tracks in the same soft register with no sequencing differentiation or tonal shifts makes the album sag and blur together despite its consistent mood.
The melodic trap template was already established by Young Thug and others; Gunna refines the sound without adding much to it.
The atmospheric production and sticky hooks work initially, but the sameness of tone and subject matter makes the album feel longer and less rewarding on repeat.
Gunna Drip or Drown 2 — The Case for Texture Over Substance
The question Drip or Drown 2 poses is whether an album can work when the production does nearly all the heavy lifting. Gunna's debut studio album is a forty-eight-minute exercise in melodic trap where the beats caress and the rapping glides, but the writing never rises above luxury brand name-dropping and vague meditations on success. What saves it is the production work from Turbo and Wheezy, who build a gentle, guitar-laced soundscape that turns Gunna's one-note delivery into a viable aesthetic choice rather than a limitation.
The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in February 2019 with ninety thousand units and went gold by November, which suggests the formula connected with an audience looking for rap music that soothes rather than confronts. Executive produced by Young Thug, Turbo, and Wheezy, the record is less a sequel to the 2017 EP Drip or Drown than a refinement of the melodic trap template Thug pioneered. Gunna uses his mentor's playbook without his risk-taking, sticking to a narrow emotional and sonic range that makes the album feel cohesive but also interchangeable. The singles "One Call" and "Speed It Up" both charted on the Hot 100, peaking at fifty-six and ninety-one respectively, and both are representative of the album's strengths and weaknesses: hooks that stick, beats that float, and writing that barely registers as language.
Velvet Beats, Hollow Bars
The production on Drip or Drown 2 is the album's main asset and the reason it works at all. Turbo and Wheezy, who split the boards almost evenly, build tracks that prioritize atmosphere over knock, using soft guitar loops, spacious 808s, and minimal percussion to create a sound that feels like expensive ambient music with a trap skeleton. The production exemplifies the approach: Turbo and Ghetto Guitar layer clean guitar arpeggios over slow-rolling basslines, giving Gunna a bed that demands nothing from him except that he stay in the pocket. He does, coasting on the same sing-song cadence that defines the entire album. The beats follow the same blueprint, with Turbo crafting tracks that are more concerned with texture than energy. The few times the production picks up the tempo, the minimalism remains: Turbo strips the beat down to a crisp hi-hat pattern and a looping melody, trusting Gunna's voice to fill the space.
Wheezy's contributions, which include several key tracks and the closer, are slightly more traditional trap but still softer than the genre standard. The 808s hit but they don't rattle, and the melodies loop without building. The result is an album that sounds like it was designed for low-volume streaming rather than speakers or headphones at full blast. The mix by Fabian Maraciullo and Alex Tumay keeps everything polished and airy, which suits the vibe but also flattens the dynamics.
The writing is where the album falls apart. Gunna raps almost exclusively about wealth, designer clothes, and vague romantic entanglements, cycling through the same imagery with no specificity or narrative stakes. Lines about Richard Mille watches, Birkin bags, and foreign cars fill every track, but they never add up to a perspective or a story.
The bars range from the goofy to the confusingly abstract, as Pitchfork noted, but even the better attempts at depth feel unfinished. There is no storytelling here, no detail work, no sense that Gunna has anything to say beyond the fact that he is successful. The guest verses from Lil Baby and Young Thug show what the album is missing: both rappers bring energy and a sense of purpose that Gunna never musters. Playboi Carti's appearance is more in Gunna's lane, but Carti's ad-libs and vocal experiments still provide more texture than anything Gunna does on his own.
Forty-Eight Minutes Without a Peak
The album's biggest problem is that it has no arc. Sixteen tracks play out in the same soft, melodic register, with no sequencing choices that create contrast or momentum. The album opens with a track that sets the tone and the tempo, and then maintains that tone for the next forty-five minutes without variation. There are no peaks, no slow burns, no moments that demand attention.
The singles were presumably chosen because they are slightly more immediate than the rest, but neither stands out enough to justify its placement. The middle stretch is where the album sags most noticeably: the beats are solid but the songs blur together, and Gunna's refusal to vary his delivery or subject matter makes it hard to tell one track from the next.
The few moments that break the monotony are the guest features. Lil Baby's sharper cadence and Young Thug's unpredictable flow provide jolts of energy that highlight how much the album needed more contrast. These are the only moments where the energy shifts.
The sequencing does no favors: placing sixteen songs in a row with no skits, no interludes, and no real differentiation in tempo or mood makes the album feel longer than it is. A tighter tracklist with three or four cuts would have made the strengths easier to appreciate.
A Producer's Album with a Rapper's Name on the Cover
Drip or Drown 2 ranks as a solid debut for Gunna, but it is more accurately described as a highlight for Turbo and Wheezy than for the artist whose name is on the cover. The production is genuinely excellent, carving out a niche for melodic trap that prioritizes atmosphere and restraint, and Gunna's voice fits the sound well enough that the album achieves a consistent vibe. The problem is that the vibe is all it has. The writing is weak, the sequencing is lazy, and the album is at least four songs too long. For listeners who want rap music as background ambiance or who prioritize production over bars, this is a win. For anyone looking for storytelling, wordplay, or a reason to care about Gunna as an MC, it is a missed opportunity.
The album has aged as a timestamp of the melodic trap wave in 2019, a moment when the sound was dominant on streaming playlists and the commercial success proved the demand. It is not an album that will be remembered for innovation or influence, but it is well-executed within its narrow lane. Start with "Richard Millie Plain" for the production reveal, "Derek Fisher" for the guest energy, and "3 Headed Snake" for the closest thing to a standout moment. If those three tracks do not hold your attention, skip the rest. For further listening, Young Thug's So Much Fun from the same year shows what this approach sounds like when the writing matches the production, and Lil Baby's Harder Than Ever demonstrates how to make melodic trap with stakes.
Track by track
Track Listing
Wit It
SolidWheezy opens the album with a mid-tempo beat that establishes the soft melodic trap template for everything that follows. Gunna's hook is catchy enough and his flow is smooth, but the writing is pure luxury flexing with no specificity. The track works as an introduction to the sound but sets a low bar for the bars.
Outstanding
SolidTurbo and Ghetto Guitar build a clean guitar loop over a slow 808 crawl, giving Gunna one of the album's best beats to work with. He responds with the same sing-song delivery and generic wealth imagery, making the track feel like a missed opportunity. The production carries it.
One Call
SolidThe first single is built around a Turbo and Jet beat that loops a simple melody and crisp percussion, aiming for immediate replay value. The hook is sticky and the production is polished, but Gunna's verses are forgettable. It charted at fifty-six on the Hot 100 because the beat does the work, not because the rapping adds anything memorable.
Cash War
SolidWheezy delivers a more traditional trap beat with harder 808s, but the album's soft mix keeps it from hitting as hard as it could. Gunna's flow stays locked in the pocket, but the writing is more of the same luxury talk. Solid but unremarkable.
Richard Millie Plain
StandoutThis is the album's best production showcase. Turbo and Ghetto Guitar layer acoustic guitar arpeggios over a minimal bassline, creating a gentle, expensive-sounding bed that fits Gunna's melodic approach perfectly. The writing is still shallow, but the beat is gorgeous and Gunna's voice complements it well. The track exemplifies what the album does best: using production to turn limited rapping into a viable aesthetic.
Yao Ming
SolidWheezy and Turbo team up for a short, bouncy track that picks up the tempo slightly but still stays in the album's soft register. The hook references height and success with no clever wordplay. The beat is fine, but the song is filler that could have been cut.
Idk Why
WeakWheezy's production is airy and spacious, giving Gunna room to coast on melody rather than bars. The track has no hook strong enough to justify its existence and no writing that stands out. It is the kind of song that plays well in a playlist but disappears from memory immediately.
Derek Fisher
StandoutLil Baby's guest verse is the best sixteen bars on the album, bringing a sharper cadence and more specific imagery than Gunna manages anywhere else. Turbo and Trell Got Wings provide a beat with a subtle bounce, and Baby uses it to show what the album is missing: energy, precision, and a sense of stakes. Gunna holds his own on the hook but his verse is outclassed. The track is a clear highlight because the guest does the heavy lifting.
Baby Birkin
SolidWheezy and B-Rackz build a beat with a looping melody and minimal percussion, and Gunna uses it to rap about Birkin bags and luxury with no memorable lines. The production is solid but the song blurs into the surrounding tracks with no distinguishing features.
Speed It Up
SolidThe second single is built on a Turbo beat that strips the production down to crisp hi-hats and a looping synth line, creating one of the album's most immediate moments. Gunna's hook is catchy and the track has replay value, which explains why it charted at ninety-one on the Hot 100. It is not a great song, but it is effective in the context of the album's low-energy approach.
3 Headed Snake
StandoutYoung Thug's appearance is the album's other clear highlight. Wheezy and Turbo provide a spacious beat with a dark edge, and Thug uses it to deliver a verse that is more inventive and unpredictable than anything Gunna does across sixteen tracks. Thug's vocal experiments and ad-libs give the track a sense of danger and fun that the rest of the album lacks. Gunna's contributions are fine, but this is Thug's song and it shows what the album could have been with more varied performances.
Big Shot
SolidTurbo and Ghetto Guitar return with another guitar-laced beat that prioritizes vibe over energy. Gunna coasts through verses about success and wealth with no specific imagery or storytelling. The track is pleasant but disposable, a clear example of the album's tendency to value consistency over peaks.
On a Mountain
WeakTurbo and Tba build a beat with a subtle bounce and clean melody, but the song has no hook or verse strong enough to make it memorable. The writing is vague and the delivery is the same as every other track. Filler.
Out the Hood
SolidTurbo, Keyyz, and Matthews collaborate on a production that hints at uplift with its bright melody, but Gunna's writing does not develop the theme beyond surface-level success talk. The track could have been a statement about his journey but instead it is another collection of luxury references.
Same Yung Nigga
SolidPlayboi Carti's guest appearance brings vocal experiments and ad-libs that add texture to a Turbo and Wheezy beat, but both rappers are working in the same melodic trap lane and neither brings much energy. The track is fine but not a standout, and it suffers from being placed too late in the album when the sameness has already worn thin.
Who You Foolin
SolidWheezy closes the album with a minimal beat that lets Gunna's voice sit front and center, but the writing offers no conclusion or reflection. The track ends the album on the same note it started, which is consistent but also highlights the lack of growth or arc across sixteen songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Styles
