North Carolina is underrated when it comes to ranking states and their artists and producers. Rapsody, 9th Wonder, Petey Pablo, J Cole, and most recently Dababy. This lineup is very diverse and in its sound, rapping style and ability as well. This is where Stunna comes in, a NC native himself, the release of big 4x came May 10th this year. Only rapping for about 5 years and 23 years of age we’re seeing rappers becoming more popular at a younger age sort of like the 90’s. For a while the average age of rappers felt like it was 27 and all of them are already in their 30’s. After High school Stunna decided to take rapping serious and make a name for himself.
This is where Dababy comes in. As I mention before the pair are North Carolina born and raised. Dababy was already making a name for himself and had his name buzzing for a minute. He liked one of Stunna’s songs and it was history from there. The two would collaborate on “Animal”, which did great numbers and people took notice of Stunna. Since then it’s been nothing but touring and concerts for “Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment” and more touring means more money. Dababy saw something in Stunna that made him seem like a star, and when they rap it’s like they been rapping together for decades. The two flow off each other well and are able to go back and forth better than a lot of people today. This is a great compliment for Stunna as Dababy has been washing people on collaborations for a minute now.
With a whole gang of mix-tapes in such a short span Stunna has proved that his work ethic is there along with the music. His first tape was “Boot Up” that dropped in January of 2017. It’s definitely more mellow and not as heavy as his newer music is but the content is still there. Next up is his first record of the Stunna Season series with “Stunna Season Vol. 1”. The beats are starting to match his rapping ability and more towards his style of rap as well. The same can be said bout his “Young Nigga Shit” tape as well. In 2018 we see Stunna move more towards industry drops and releases as we get “4 way or No Way”. This album sounds like he is starting to build the blocks and add structure to his album or at least attempt to make it more cohesive. His last project before his latest album is “Stunna Season 2”. The progression is noticeable, over the past year he has elevated his sound and found his niche pretty early in his career.
ALBUM REVIEW
As Feefo from “Dead end Hip Hop” says his favorite type of music is bump in the whip music. This album would be a candidate for that category for sure! Track 1 starts off with piano that is playing the same notes over and over. However, the simple beat allows him to spit bars easily and not depend on it as artists today are known to do. Track 2 has a bounce to it that is catchy and will have even those who don’t like trap music at all bumping to it. Track 3 is very similar but it’s titled “Big 4X Freestyle”. Considering Stunna has stated that he does not write. It makes sense why the song has a less structured feel when it comes to the lyrics. As one ascends to greatness they are able to do more and receive more in their career. Track 4 sees a feature from one of the Migos’. Offset lends a hand to Stunna and I look at this track as more of a stepping stone than an amazing song but it’s needed for commercial success. Track 5 has a different type of beat with what sounds like some sort of synthesizer throughout the whole song. It’s the most experimental Stunna goes on this album but it shows he’s not afraid to try different sounds. Track 6 is the 3rd feature of the album. It goes back to the Stunna people love to listen to where he’s just talking his shit.
Track 7 has a simple beat once again which allows Stunna to rap and not depend on the beat. However, “Double D’s” and Track 8, “Having my way” aren’t the best tracks on this album and could be skipped in my opinion. The next record though, comes back with a vengeance it feels like. Track 9 “Hitting” is what the title states. It’s hard hitting and the compliments Vegas the most out of any other song on the project, it also happens to be my favorite song on the album. Track 10 is very similar to the previous one but this time Dababy is back as a feature. It is the single from the album and it’s easy to see why. With a beat that has a lot of bass and with quoteables from both rappers it makes sense you want it to reach as many people as it can. Track 11 is another track that I believed can be skipped. Stunna is rapping and a little off beat. But that’s not the problem, I actually like it when a rapper can go off beat and come right back. It shows how talented they are. It’s another record that lacks something it’s just there. Stunna does us justice though and comes back with “Durkio”. Track 12 features Lil Durk and is a great way to end the album the beat isn’t somber but it has a darker sound to me than the other ones signifying the end.
SCORE
STANDOUT TRACKS
- “INTRO”
- “STICKS” (FT. DABABY)
- “100 OR BETTER” (FT. NLE CHOPPA)
- ★“HITTIN”
- “ASHLEY” (FT. DABABY)
RATING — 6.5/10
Some might look at that score and think it’s terrible, however, people forget that this is a newer artist. It would be terrible if this is a seasoned rapper in his 7th year and he produces a lackluster album. This is progression and I believe when him and Dababy put an album out it will reach the top of the charts.
