Gunna

Gunna Keeps A Baddie In Every City In His Self-Directed ‘Banking On Me’ Video

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Gunna might be locked up while he awaits trial on racketeering charges along with Young Thug and YSL, but that isn’t stopping him from promoting his new album DS4EVER. While he may have been booed up with pop-R&B star Chloe Bailey in real life — no matter how much he tried to deny it — he still has an image to maintain as the primary pusher of P, and so in his new video for “Banking On Me,” he projects the consummate image of a coast-to-coast player, keeping a baddie in each major city as he jet sets around the country living that rapper lifestyle.

It helps that the video is self-directed; who wouldn’t want to cast himself as the centerpiece of a nationwide rotation of pretty women? However, the video also fits the song’s subject as well; Gunna has to keep swapping them out — after all, he doesn’t want to get bored.

Unfortunately, Gunna may not get the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor for a while. In May, he and the rest of the YSL crew were arrested as part of a sweeping RICO case that alleged they were a hybrid gang responsible for dozens of violent acts in the Atlanta area. He goes on trial early next year.

Watch the “Bank On Me” video above.

Gunna Releases Open Letter to Fans and the Public: “I Am Being False Accused and Will Never Stop Fighting”

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Gunna Gives Out His Number On Twitter: (470) 206-3380

Gunna has released his first statement since being jailed on a 56-count indictment in Georgia along with Young Thug and the rest of YSL Records.

Currently being held in Fulton County Jail, Gunna spoke about the opportunity that he provided for other professionals and his loved ones.

The statement, in part, reads:

“The picture that is being painted of me is ugly and untrue. My fans know I love to celebrate life, I love my family, I love travel, I love music, I love my fans. I have all faith that God will grant me justice for the purity in my heart and the innocence of my actions.”

Gunna also spoke to the constraints on his art as a freedom of expression:

“My art is now allowed to stand alone as entertainment, I’m not allowed that freedom as a Black Man in America. It is a sad reality that slavery is still alive in America today and still affecting my people. In 12 states more than half of the prison population is Black, one of those states is Georgia.”

Last week, Kevin Liles, the co-founder of 300 Entertainment, teamed up with Julie Greenwald, COO of Atlantic Records, for a petition to cease the use of rap lyrics in court. Liles also testified on behalf of Young Thug and YSL.

You can see Gunna’s full letter to the fans and public below.

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Gunna Shares An Open Letter From Jail Calling 2022 ‘One Of The Best Years Of My Life, Despite This’

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gunna jail grid
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The ongoing racketeering case against Young Thug, Gunna, and YSL Records has drawn increased scrutiny to the use of organized crime laws to prosecute musicians — especially rappers — using their lyrics as evidence of supposed criminal activity. While many have spoken out against this practice, including rival rappers like The Game and YFN Lucci, and YSL’s parent label 300 Entertainment’s founder Kevin Liles has posted a petition on Change.org, the people fans likely most want to hear from are the ones who are currently locked up in Fulton County Jail without bond.

To that end, Gunna has shared an open letter through his publicist asserting his innocence. You can read the letter in full below.

June 14th
2022 has been one of the best years of my life, despite this
difficult situation.
This year I had the whole world pushing P.
Growing up from where I come from in a marginalized neighborhood, I never dreamt my art would change my life and the lives of, my loved ones. My entire life, I’ve seen Black Men, Black Women, and Black Children constantly attacked, hated, murdered, berated, belittled, silenced, judged, used, and held captive.
I used my art form, my gift from God, to change my circumstance. I worked, I honed my craft, I worked, I empowered Black Women in my industry, I worked, I lived in the recording studio, I worked, I lived on the road, I worked. I worked every day to show God how grateful I am for my gift, for my art, for, life and to be able to provide for my loved ones.
For 110, I don’t have my freedom. But I am innocent. I am being
falsely accused and will never stop fighting to clear my name:

The picture that is being painted of me is ugly and untrue. My fans know I love to celebrate life, I love my family, I love travel, I love music, I love my fans. I have all faith that God will grant me justice for the purity in my heart and the innocence of my actions.
Ass Black Man in America, it seems as though my art is only acceptable when Is a source of entertainment for the masses. My art is not allowed to stand alone as entertainment, I’m not allowed that freedom as a Black Man in America. It is a sad reality that slavery is still alive in America today and still affecting my people. In 12 states more than half of the prison population is Black, one of those states is Georgia.
Nothing will stop me from chasing my dreams, I won’t stop being a good person, even if some unnamed and unknown accusers want the world to see me as a bad person. When I was free, I tried to be good and kind to the community around me and, when I am released, I will do the same thing all over again.
We still pushing P: Power, Prayer, Progress, Passion, Productivity, Praise, Precision, Peace, Prosperity, Patience, Pride, and Persistence.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gunna Releases Official Statement From Behind Bars

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Gunna

YSL rapper Gunna has officially released a statement since being locked up earlier this year on RICO charges. An official letter was recently posted by Gunna via Instagram this morning. This is the first time we see Gunna, real name, Sergio Kitchens, open up about the situation. In the statement, Kitchens speaks on the injustice […]

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Young Thug Thanks Fans For Their Support At Hot 97 Summer Jam

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Young Thug Hot 97 Summer Jam
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Young Thug may not have been able to perform at Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam festival as planned, but he was still able to make an appearance in spirit. Just ahead of Fivio Foreign’s headlining performance, Hot 97 played a video of Thug’s peers sharing supportive messages that concluded with an audio recording of the incarcerated Atlanta artist himself. “I just want to say thank you to all of my friends and my family for coming out and supporting us,” he said. “You know, your support during this time means a lot to us.”

“This isn’t just about me or YSL,” he continued. “I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and now I see that Black artists and rappers don’t have that freedom. Everybody please sign the ‘Protect Black Art’ petition and keep praying for us. I love you all.”

The petition was posted on Change.org by 300 Entertainment co-founder Kevin Liles and encouraged the federal adoption of legislation like the New York State Bill S7527, which would limit the use of artists’ lyrics in criminal trials. Nicknamed the “Rap Music On Trial” bill, it was passed by the State Senate in May but still has to go through the State Assembly and get ratified by the Governor.

The bill has seen greater attention in the wake of Young Thug’s case, in which he, Gunna, and 26 other members of their YSL crew were charged with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; prosecutors maintain that the label is a so-called “hybrid street gang” responsible for dozens of incidents of violence in the Fulton County area. The evidence against both Thug and Gunna included instances of their lyrics in which they shout out YSL, the name of their label. Both rappers have been denied bond and a trial has been set for January 9, 2023.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yes, That DDG Line About Him And Gunna On A Double Date Is About Exactly Who You Think It Is

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One of the most fun parts of hip-hop music is deciphering rappers’ bars, unraveling their cryptic references and tongue-twisting wordplay to uncover hidden meanings or clever turns of phrase that tell us more about them past their boastful personas. One bar that captured fans’ imaginations came from Michigan rapper DDG on his viral hit “Elon Musk.” DDG hints that he and his costar on the song, Gunna, went on a double date, but doesn’t say with whom; fans naturally took the license to speculate on the rappers’ respective romantic partners, given who they’ve been seen hanging out with in recent months.

Now, thanks to Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson, we have confirmation: That line is about exactly who fans think it is. Sure, it wasn’t that hard to figure out, but it’s nice to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. “I think it’s self-explanatory,” DDG elaborates. “I think the world knows that me and Gunna have a mutual situation with people that are related. Gunna got a Maybach, I got a Maybach — he got the truck, I got the car. One day, he was on a date, I was on a date, we pulled up at the same time.”

For those who don’t know, both rappers had been seen in the company of the sister duo, Chloe X Halle — Gunna with Chloe Bailey, and DDG with the younger sibling, Halle. Although the two R&B stars have been coy, and even Gunna denied that things were serious, DDG’s admission puts both relationships on Front street. You can watch DDG explain his bar above.

Gunna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gunna’s ‘DS4Ever’ Is The Highest Selling Hip-Hop Album Of 2022 So Far

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gunna ds4ever

With all the bad news surrounding the YSL rapper Gunna, there is something the Atlanta rapper can feel good about. To go along with his second No.1 album, DS4Ever is also the highest-selling album of 2022.

According to a tweet from Hip Hop By The Numbers, Gunna’s DS4Ever sold 863k units. Lil Durk came in second with 7220, moving 693k units and Future came in third with his latest release, I Never Liked You.

DS4Ever debuted with 150,300 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data. The 19-track project includes “Pushin P” featuring Future and Young Thug, which launched at No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart; meanwhile, The Weeknd’s Dawn FM album starts at No. 2 on this week’s Billboard 200, with 148,000 equivalent album units.

Currently, Gunna is locked up with fellow rapper Young Thug in a sweeping gang indictment. Although both rappers were denied bond, Gunna’s lawyer maintains his client’s innocence.

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DENIED: YSL Young Thug Bond Request Is Rejected In Spite of Stellar Character Witnesses And Deft Legal Defense

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Judge Glanville, Young Thug Judge

Early this afternoon, Young Thug had his bond hearing before a judge at the Fulton County court. The question of his bond was discussed at length with testimony from a stellar lineup of witnesses including music executive Kevin Liles, a 15-year-old motivational speaker, and community activists who all vouched for the embattled rapper’s release. In spite […]

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