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Mastering the Low End: Compression Tips for a Tight Mix

September 20, 2024

When it comes to music production, getting the low end right can be tricky. Many producers face a common issue: after the initial mix sounds perfect, a few days later, the low end starts to feel...

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How to Turn a Bedroom into a Professional Home Studio on a Budget

September 19, 2024

For many aspiring musicians, the dream of creating a professional-quality home studio seems out of reach due to costs and space constraints. However, with the right strategies and tools, it's...

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Remote Music Collaboration: Tools and Tips for Seamless Production

September 18, 2024

Collaborating on music remotely has become more common, but as you’ve experienced, it can be a challenge to get it right. Audio latency, control sensitivity, and lack of real-time feedback are...

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How to Build a Loyal Fanbase Using Social Media in 2024

September 18, 2024

In today’s digital age, building a loyal fanbase is essential for musicians to thrive. Social media platforms have become powerful tools for connecting directly with fans, sharing music, and...

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Best Apps and Websites for Creating Instrumentals When You Don’t Play Instruments

September 18, 2024

As a songwriter, it can be frustrating to have melodies or lyrics in your head but no way to bring them to life without instrumental skills. Thankfully, with modern technology, there are apps and...

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How to Match Chords to Your Singing – Overcoming the Struggle

September 18, 2024

Creating music often feels like an intricate puzzle. You might have a melody that you love, but when it comes to pairing it with chords, you feel stuck. If you're in this situation, you're not alone.

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The Top 10 Free Tools Every Indie Musician Needs to Succeed

September 18, 2024

As an indie musician, creating professional music while sticking to a budget can be challenging. You might not have the resources to afford high-end software or pay for expensive marketing...

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Miley Cyrus Sued Over ‘Flowers’: The Fine Line Between Inspiration and Infringement

September 18, 2024

Music creators often walk a delicate line between drawing inspiration from their favorite songs and unintentionally infringing on the work of others. The recent lawsuit filed against Miley Cyrus...

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Breaking the "Second Verse Curse": Tips to Keep Your Songwriting Flowing

September 16, 2024

This is a predicament that many songwriters encounter: You're thrilled with the direction your song is headed, the melody feels great, and you've nailed the first verse and chorus. But then you...

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Improving Vocal Samples After Pitch or Tempo Changes: Tips and Tricks from Music Producers

September 16, 2024

Vocal manipulation, such as pitching up/down or changing tempo, is a common practice in music production, especially in remixes. However, these changes can often lead to unwanted artifacts...

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Overcoming Perfectionism in Songwriting

September 16, 2024

“How can I write songs with perfectionism?”If this sounds like you, you're not alone. Many songwriters, even those who are otherwise confident in their creative abilities, face a similar battle...

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How to Find Your Genre: Narrowing Down Your Sound and Streamlining Your Music Creation Process

September 16, 2024

When you're creating music on your own, it can be tough to define your style, especially with so many genres and influences out there. You might feel like you’re trying to piece together a puzzle...

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Gunna’s Comeback to the Music Industry Despite Controversy

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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.