Step by step, Gunna is finally reclaiming a sense of normalcy in his life. On Monday (July 17), the Atlanta rapper announced that he will return to performing in September with two shows in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Starting with Brooklyn on September 9, the show will take place at Barclays Center and will serve as his first headlining show in over two years. More than two weeks later, he’ll pay a visit to Los Angeles’ YouTube Theater on September 28. Details regarding pre-sale and public sale for tickets can be found on Gunna’s website.
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Both shows will be in promotion of Gunna’s fourth studio album a Gift & a Curse, which has left a continually lasting impact on the hip-hop community since its June 16 release. Along with seeing him show love to his currently incarcerated mentor and label-head Young Thug, the album also earned the best first-week sales for a hip-hop project without features since 2021. Additionally, the LP’s most popular song “fukumean” recently became Gunna’s first song without features to land inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Gunna’s upcoming September shows, which have been dubbed The Gift (Brooklyn) and The Curse (Los Angeles), punctuate a well-documented redemption arc for the 30-year-old. In May 2022, four months after his DS4Ever album beat out The Weeknd for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, he was arrested alongside Thug and many other members of their Young Stoner Life record label. Pursued multiple charges in relation to YSL’s federal racketeering case, Gunna spent over half a year in jail.
However, in December, Gunna entered a plea deal with the Fulton County Court in Georgia, earning his freedom in exchange for probation. But, doing so, many in the hip-hop community believed Gunna’s plea statement may have incriminated Thug and other YSL members awaiting trial, potentially making their chances of being found innocent tougher. Gunna and his lawyer guaranteed his statement could not be used to negatively affect his co-defendants.
Regardless, Gunna still decided to get back to releasing music. While Thug is still behind bars, though, many friends and collaborators of Thug decided not to support or endorse Gunna’s music, such as Lil Baby, as they felt Gunna betrayed his trust. This likely led to Gunna’s decision to release an album without any featured artists, the first time he’s done so in his career.
Standing by himself in the spotlight, though, Gunna’s a Gift & a Curse did not disappoint, proving how invaluable and unique his talent is in the current rap landscape. Now, fans on both coasts will get to experience songs from the beloved LP live.
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