Gunna experienced a whirlwind within the last two years. The Atlanta native’s music career appeared in jeopardy after he was initially incarcerated in May 2022 due to the highly-publicized YSL RICO case.
Gunna negotiated an Alford plea which allowed him to plead guilty on one charge while maintaining his innocence on the same charge. In turn, the judge sentenced Gunna to five years with time served. The remainder of his sentence was suspended with the completion of 500 hours of community service.
But following his release, Gunna faced backlash from former rap colleagues and some on social media. Instead of commenting or succumbing to the adversity, Gunna focused on the music. Since his release from jail, Gunna has stood out as one of the most prolific artists in hip-hop.
With “The Bittersweet Tour,” Gunna took fans on his turbulent journey and was greeted with open arms during the tour’s final stop in his hometown.
Gunna’s elaborate set at State Farm Arena in Atlanta included two stages, one primary and the other located in the rear of the arena’s floor. The show opened with a SnowBeast-like creature roaming on the second stage, designed as a glacier. Gunna emerged, wearing a fur hat, fur shorts, and fur-covered boots as he rapped “Bittersweet” which includes the lyrics, “Careful with your choices ’cause you can’t make it twice, money don’t uphold so much that we sacrifice, Life a rollercoaster, turns go low and back high, my day’s been a blur, can’t get the dirt out my eyes.”
Gunna would make his way to the main stage that included a large white sheet that read, “Welcome Back To Atlanta.” Most of the audience jumped as he rapped “Back in the A” and the bouncy, “Whatsapp.”
The show’s storyline unfolded with visuals displayed on a large LED screen. With sounds of thunder, a visual of scuba divers diving in the ocean and discovering an artifact that is pulled to the surface by a large ship. Once the white sheet dropped, it revealed a large statue of Gunna’s head.
Gunna emerged from behind the statue, lifted in the air while on top of an elevated stage as he rapped “Bottom.” He also performed hits such as “Drip To Hard,” “Top Off,” and “P Power.”
However, the most revealing moment of the show came when he addressed his turbulent last two years through song. A montage displayed his YSL indictment and its aftermath. With his mother’s voice narrating, the words “focus on you” becomes the theme as he prepared his comeback.
Gunna returned to the stage wearing black-feathered shoulder pads and shorts, channeling late ’90s era André 3000 and sporting oversized shades made popular by Miles Davis.
Similar to a blues artist, Gunna shared his heartbreak by rapping, “I’m right back and I lost mad commas, I had been down bad inside a dark tunnel, yeah F them boys, I found out who my real partners, And who was only with me ’cause I had dollars.”
Gunna would pick the energy back up by performing several hits including, “Drip or Drown.”
He yelled, “Free Thug,” giving a shout out to his partner-in-rhyme Young Thug before rapping hits, “Ski,” “Hot,” and “Pushing P.”
With the performance of “F_kumean,” Gunna claimed it to be the hottest song over the past year as it stood out as a viral sensation.
Before the show’s conclusion, Gunna invited numerous family members on stage. As his family greeted him with hugs and kisses, the Afrobeat-inspired “Happiness” played providing a proper ending to his topsy-turvy journey.