Gunna drops new single ‘GOT DAMN’ on all DSPs: A Review
Ending the year with a melodic banger, Gunna released his highly-anticipated single GOT DAMN to all major streaming platforms on Friday, December 20, via A Young Stoner Life and 300 Entertainment.
The record was distributed to DSPs alongside an official visualizer uploaded to his YouTube channel. Yesterday, Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, professionally known as Gunna, uploaded a clip of him live performing the track in his studio, confirming the release of GOT DAMN, on his Instagram account.
Kitchens' latest single follows up on HIM ALL ALONG, released to streaming on October 18, 2024. The record also marks his second solo release since delivering his fifth studio album One of Wun, in May, which debuted at No.2 on Billboard's album charts.
Bar-For-Bar: Breaking down Gunna's latest single 'GOT DAMN'
The Atlanta rapper's latest single clocks in at roughly 3 minutes of runtime, with an upbeat fast-paced melodic trap production credited to Aviator Keyyz, Bloublood, Timpani Beatz, and Jkari.
A snippet of the track was previewed at the end of the official music video for HIM ALL ALONG, which found Kitchens boarding a private jet along with his entourage. Rolling Stones cited his latest record as being "reflective" of his recent community drives, like the Fall Family Fest held in November.
"This is something I’ve been doing, something I’ll continue to do just out the kindness of my heart. We all can do it — all the little homies in here that look up and see it, you can do it too. That’s what it’s about," Gunna said at the charity gathering.
Notable themes that Gunna explores in GOT DAMN include wealth, luxury, respect, philandering, excess, fashion, and legacy.
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
(Chorus)
"On and off the jet, goddamn / Uh, I don't get no rest, goddamn / I want my respect, goddamn / I been running up a check, yeah (Yeah)"
The record opens with an extremely enticing melodic performance from Gunna, introducing listeners to GOT DAMN's catchy and memorable hook. He references his excessively luxurious lifestyle, citing a constant state of travel being the reason he gets "no rest".
He seemingly demands respect from rap peers and the hip-hop community for his contributions to the game, focusing on the massive wealth he's generated since gaining notoriety in 2018 after the release of his mixtape Drip Season.
"When we fu*k, it ease my stress, goddamn / Uh, way she give that neck? Uh, trim / Uh, get this movie star on film (Film) / My ring a shining star, uh"
The final bar finds him referencing an intimate relationship with a woman, ending the hook flexing his expensive jewelry.
(Verse 1)
"Uh (Uh), karats in my ear and they clear (Glass) / I been rockin' shades, life's been a blur (Blur) / Fashion every day, put her in Couture ('Ture) / Uh, put in work, make that p***y purr (Purr, purr)"
Building on his taste for expensive jewelry, Gunna's first verse immediately draws listeners into his affinity for high fashion and a luxury lifestyle.
He also cites having his partners dressed in Couture clothing i.e. fashionable clothing designed and manufactured to a client's specific requirements and measurements.
"Yeah, I endorse, mashin' the Porsche (Mash) / DC to New York, uh, me and a few joints / 'Bout to meet at the Clearport, uh, look for the Rolls Royce"
The final bar of Kitchens' first verse connects back to the "excessive lifestyle" displayed on the hook, where he references meeting at a clearport, a non-commercial private airport, and traveling state to state with his entourage.
Listeners are then reintroduced to GOT DAMN's hook before Gunna opens on the record's second and final verse.
(Verse 2)
"Goddamn, a n***a fortunate / Every day locked in, I make M's off my voice / I know how to win, get you in on the source / Head up with my chin up, I ain't got no other choice"
Gunna's final verse on GOT DAMN finds him reflecting on his success, calling himself "fortunate" to be living a luxurious lifestyle.
Listeners are drawn in by his melodic cadence as he explains knowing "how to win," claiming to have tapped into the source of success that eventually led him to make millions off of hit records.
"Had to cut my jeans, look like new Loewe jorts / Brought out fifty G's just to spend on my lil' shawty / Backyard is a sea, I can retire when I turn forty / You my type of freak, while we fu*kin', I record it"
He delves into themes of "rags to riches," as he cites having to cut his jeans to resemble the look of Spanish fashion house Loewe's highly-saught jort designs. Gunna continues by highlighting how he now spends over $50,000 on women, claiming to have earned enough to retire himself in nine years, when he turns 40.
"Couldn't believe, I stopped sipping codeine for my core / You see, uh, extra couple hundred G's for my aura / Good treesha, brand new frosted AP on a wh*re / Ibiza, had to show her VISA at the port"
The Atlanta rapper ends his verse with a bar that reinforces themes previously set throughout the record's runtime, also emphasizing how he stopped "sipping codeine" in an attempt to get clean and live a healthier lifestyle.
Gunna's GOT DAMN is an impactful melodic trap record exploring his affinity for luxury while simultaneously highlighting why he deserves this lifestyle, reflecting on his early-day struggles.
