Trinidad James Believes Gunna “Saved” The Summer For Men In Hip-Hop
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The conversation surrounding the lack of an official song or album “of the summer” in Hip-Hop has been ongoing over the past two months. While many rap fans believe there hasn’t been a defining release of the season, rapper Trinidad James feels that the community is overlooking Gunna as a prime candidate in that regard.
Earlier this week, the Atlanta native nominated Gunna’s a Gift & a Curse album as the best of the season, going as far as to say it saved the summer for “male Hip-Hop.”
In a post on Instagram, the 35-year-old scolded fans for deeming this summer’s musical releases as “boring,” sharing a photo of the cover of Gunna’s latest album A Gift & a Curse as an example to back up his point. “Please Stop Saying The Summer Was Boring,” Trinidad wrote. “That’s a Lie you wanna make true. @gunna Saved It for Male Hip Hop. God Don’t Make Mistakes. #DAD”
The “All Gold Everything” rapper’s declaration received mixed reactions from his followers, as some agreed with his take, while others listed albums they felt were equal or superior to Gunna’s. “It got streams, BUT it didn’t hit the clubs like a proper summer hit should,” one commenter wrote. Another namechecked other popular artists who dropped acclaimed albums in recent months.
“Conway album was crazy, killer Mike, too. Travis Scott [fire emoji]. But you post this cuz?” they argued. Fellow Atlanta rapper Killer Mike received numerous mentions from responders, with one boasting that it was “the album of the year.”
Yet, another commended Gunna for putting together a strong project in spite of the circumstances surrounding his release from prison and “snitching” allegations being thrust upon him. “This album hit harder because of the context behind it! Gunna did his thang,” the person commented.
Released in June, a Gift & a Curse marks Gunna’s first full-length musical drop since being indicted in the YSL RICO case alongside Young Thug and other members of the alleged gang. Despite speculation over whether his popularity would wane following his cooperation in taking a plea deal, the album was a major success.
Peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, a Gift & a Curse produced the hit single “Fukumean,” which currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the rapper’s first song to top the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
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