March 18, 2023
The Filipino-Canadian duo from Vancouver has been releasing new tracks left and right, and they are known for their most streamed songs on Spotify, “Timezones,” and “Silver Skies.” Previously .......
Read more
March 17, 2023
The singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus has recently released a record-breaking song called “Flowers” in January 2023. This song recites her 10-year long relationship with her ex-husband....
Read more
March 4, 2023
Men I Trust is a Canadian indie pop band known for their dreamy and mellow sound. Their music is laid back, incorporating elements of funk, disco, and R&B to create a smooth and groovy vibe that is
Read more
March 3, 2023
Artists like Kaytranada have proved that you don’t need access to a professional recording studio to create well-produced music. As technology and social media have advanced, it is now easier than eve
Read more
February 25, 2023
People draw inspiration from others when forming their ideas, it’s a fact of life. Sampling in music is no exception - and artists do it for a variety of reasons. Traditionally, copyright laws and
Read more
February 23, 2023
Tobias Jesso Jr. You may know his name from his 2015 solo album Goon. Or maybe from his work on various popular songs, such as “When We Were Young” by Adele and “Alive” by Sia. Or even from his rece
Read more.png)
February 23, 2023
HBO’s The Last of Us is arguably the hottest show out right now, receiving near universal acclaim from viewers and critics alike. This holds especially true for episode three: “Long, Long Time”.
Read more
February 21, 2023
Folk singer. Songwriter. Canadian. Polyglot. All of these titles belong to Gina Lam, also known by her stage name Ginalina. In November 2022, she released her latest album titled Going Back: Remembe
Read more
February 21, 2023
Rihanna is an illustrious artist. She is among the best selling female artists of all time, and was one of the greatest hitmakers of the 2000s and 2010s. She has since grown to become the richest...
Read more
February 20, 2023
Streaming is now the driving force of the music industry, making up 84% of the industry revenue in the U.S. While streaming is much more convenient for listeners, many artists argue that it is near im
Read more
February 23, 2023
Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z. In honor of Hip-Hop’s
Read more
February 18, 2023
Kaytranada (Louis Celestin) is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. He is a highly acclaimed electronic artist, having earned two Grammys and countless other awards for his work. Kaytranada has
Read more
Gunna, a mainstream rapper, just released a new album containing a #1 “Billboard Hot 100” hit song called “fukumean” despite the current controversy around his name. Gunna was arrested back in May of 2022 on one count of racketeering, therefore, facing 5 years in prison. He was released later that year after taking the Alford Plea, which allowed him to maintain his innocence while agreeing to the fact that he could still be found guilty during a trial. Leaked footage of Gunna in the courtroom allegedly “snitching” confirming to the judges that the company “YSL”, the label he was signed under at this time, was involved in illegal gang activities. This led the music industry to believe that Gunna is a snitch who had betrayed his own label company and its owner, a fellow rapper, Young Thug. He was instantly labeled as a snitch globally, causing many big rappers and producers to fully cut ties with Gunna.
As a result, Gunna took a break from creating music for a few months, returning to the industry by dropping an album on June 16th, 2023 titled “ A Gift and a Curse”. This was a 15-song project expressing how all his associates turned their back on him and how he did not know who to trust anymore.
With reference to this court case, multiple of Young Thug’s songs such as “Anybody”, “Take it To Trial”, “Ski (feat. Gunna)” and “Slatty” were used against him as evidence. As an example, in his song “Slatty” he states “I killed his man in front of his momma, like f*** lil’ bruh, sister and cousin, I shoot out, kill em’ not leaving a trace”. These lyrics were used to help link Young Thug and YSL to a murder case.
HipHopDX article about the lyrics used against Gunna:
Even though Gunna saw these lyrics being used against YSL, he continues to rap about the gang culture and the type of activities they participate in. Often, rappers use such lyrics to display a certain image to the world, whether they actually represent it or not. These peculiar lyrics attract listeners as they are extremely catchy and easy to sing along to. They also engage the listener into feeling like they are living these lyrics, even though their true lifestyle is far removed from it.
Despite Gunna’s experience, one of Gunna’s songs on the album titled “fukumean” is now the #1 song on the “Billboard Hot 100”. This song was streamed a total of 65 million times on Spotify only one month after its release.
