Biography
From College Park to the Billboard 200 Summit: The Gunna Story
College Park Origins
Sergio Giavanni Kitchens was born on June 14, 1993, in College Park, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, and was raised by his mother alongside four older brothers. Music arrived early: by his mid-teens he was writing and recording, and in 2013 he self-released a mixtape called Hard Body under the name Yung Serg. He grew up absorbing Outkast, Cam'ron and Chingy, soaking up the melody-heavy Southern rap that would shape his own style. The turning point came through Keith King Troup, a mutual friend and community figure who introduced him to Young Thug before dying in December 2015. Thug took the younger rapper under his wing, bringing him on tour and handing him his first major feature on Floyd Mayweather, a star-stacked cut from his 2016 mixtape Jeffery featuring Travis Scott and Gucci Mane. By late 2016, Kitchens had signed to Thug's newly launched YSL Records.
Hood Melody: The Signature Sound
Gunna describes his style as hood melody: a raspy, unhurried sing-rap delivered over hazy trap production, most often supplied by close collaborator Wheezy. The formula surfaced on the YSL mixtapes Drip Season (October 2016) and Drip Season 2 (May 2017), the latter anchored by Phase, a confessional standout that became his early calling card. In November 2017 he released the Drip or Drown EP, produced entirely by Wheezy, sharpening the luxurious, melancholy blend of designer references and street-level resolve that now defines his catalog. Beneath the flexing sits a motivator streak inherited from his mother, who worked for a local school system and preached persistence. Keep going, grind for what you want, pray, listen to your mama, he told The FADER in 2017 — advice he has repeatedly folded into songs aimed at listeners navigating similar streets.
Drip Season 3 and the Drip Harder Breakthrough
Drip Season 3, released on February 2, 2018, pushed him from Atlanta fixture toward national prospect, debuting at number 55 on the Billboard 200. Sold Out Dates, his spring single with frequent partner Lil Baby, spread across streaming platforms and cemented their chemistry. That summer he surfaced on Yosemite, a standout from Travis Scott's blockbuster album Astroworld, exposing his croon to an arena-sized audience. The payoff arrived on September 12, 2018, when he and Lil Baby released Drip Too Hard, lead single of their joint project Drip Harder. The tape landed at number four on the Billboard 200 that October, while the single climbed to number four on the Hot 100 and later earned a Best Rap/Sung Performance nomination at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards. Certified diamond by the RIAA in September 2022, it remains the defining hit of his rise.
From Drip or Drown 2 to DS4Ever: The No. 1 Run
His debut studio album, Drip or Drown 2, arrived on February 22, 2019 and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, powered by the platinum single One Call. Guest turns kept multiplying: he rode Young Thug's Hot to number eleven on the Hot 100 after a Travis Scott remix, and in August 2020 he joined Internet Money, Don Toliver and NAV on Lemonade, a number six Hot 100 hit later certified four-times platinum. Wunna, released May 22, 2020, made him a headliner, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 — his first chart-topping album. The label showcase Slime Language 2, credited to Young Thug and YSL, repeated the trick at number one in April 2021. On January 7, 2022, DS4Ever opened at number one with 150,300 first-week equivalent units, edging The Weeknd's Dawn FM by roughly 2,300 units, and its hypnotic single pushin P, with Future and Young Thug, debuted at number seven on the Hot 100 while flooding timelines with blue Ps.
The YSL RICO Indictment and an Alford Plea
On May 11, 2022, Kitchens surrendered to Fulton County authorities, two days after Young Thug, in connection with a sweeping 56-count RICO indictment that named 28 people associated with YSL. Prosecutors framed the label as a criminal enterprise; his supporters insisted it was a record company. He was denied bond twice as his trial was scheduled for January 2023. The legal saga pivoted on December 14, 2022, when he entered an Alford plea to a single racketeering charge — maintaining innocence while acknowledging that a jury would likely convict — and walked free that afternoon. His sentence totaled five years, with one year commuted to time served and the remainder suspended subject to probation conditions including 500 hours of community service. In a public statement he rejected the gang characterization of YSL and declared that he had not been interviewed, had not cooperated, and had absolutely no intention of being involved in the trial process.
Redemption Arc: A Gift & a Curse
Five months after regaining his freedom, Gunna returned with Bread & Butter, a terse June 2023 single confronting the snitching accusations that had followed him out of jail. Days after announcing the project on his thirtieth birthday, he released A Gift & a Curse on June 16, 2023, through YSL and 300 Entertainment. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 behind roughly 85,000 equivalent units, a striking result for a release mounted amid industry cold shoulders. Its second single, Fukumean, became the true vindication: pushed to rhythmic radio in July 2023, the track climbed to number four on the Hot 100, spent thirty-two weeks there, and reached the top ten in ten countries. Critics split over the album's merits, but Rolling Stone later described a riveting work that added a serrated lyrical edge to his usual catalogue of private-jet escapism.
One of Wun and The Last Wun: Standing Alone
He kept the momentum with One of Wun, released May 10, 2024 with features from Offset, Normani, Leon Bridges and Roddy Ricch; it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and spun off a top 30 title track. Lead single Him All Along followed that October, priming the album he had begun signaling as his last under YSL. The title surfaced on June 28, 2025, during an Uproxx interview with will.i.am, and the rollout crystallized on August 8, 2025 with The Last Wun: twenty-five tracks, Turbo-anchored production, and guest spots from Offset, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Nechie and Asake. The set bowed at number three on the Billboard 200 with 80,000 units — his seventh top-ten entry — and topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Reviewing it for Rolling Stone, critic Mosi Reeves read the album as the sound of an embattled A-lister contending with a narrative he never wanted, capturing what Gunna himself calls pressure, pain, progress and real reflection.
Giving Back and Touring the World
Success has flowed back toward his hometown. In February 2022, he partnered with hunger-relief company Goodr to open a free grocery store at Ronald E. McNair Middle School, which he attended as a teenager, and his recurring Gunna's Great Giveaway has delivered holiday support to Atlanta families in need. On the road, he graduated from club rooms to international headline runs, including the Drip or Drown 2 Tour in 2019, the Bittersweet Tour and Wun of Dem Nights dates in 2024, and the globetrotting Wun World Tour in 2025. Nearly a decade removed from his first Drip Season tape, Gunna remains one of Atlanta's most distinctive melodic voices — a survivor whose smoothest hooks often carry the hardest-won lessons.
Selected moments
Career highlights
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Signs to Young Thug's YSL Records
After appearing on the Jeffery mixtape cut Floyd Mayweather, Kitchens signs with YSL Records, the 300 Entertainment imprint that launches his professional career.
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Drip Harder and Drip Too Hard
The collaborative tape with Lil Baby hits No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and its lead single reaches No. 4 on the Hot 100 en route to a GRAMMY nomination and eventual diamond certification.
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Wunna debuts at No. 1
Released May 22, 2020, his sophomore studio album becomes his first chart-topper on the Billboard 200, with a deluxe edition following in July.
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Second No. 1 with DS4Ever
DS4Ever opens atop the Billboard 200 on January 7, 2022 with 150,300 first-week units, narrowly holding off The Weeknd's Dawn FM, while pushin P debuts at No. 7 on the Hot 100.
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Free grocery store with Goodr
In February 2022 he partners with Goodr to open a no-cost grocery store at Ronald E. McNair Middle School, the school he attended as a teenager.
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RICO arrest and Alford plea
Jailed in May 2022 in the sweeping YSL RICO case, he is freed on December 14, 2022 after an Alford plea, publicly stating he had not cooperated and would not testify against any party.
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A Gift & a Curse comeback
His first post-release album lands at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and Fukumean climbs to No. 4 on the Hot 100, restoring his commercial standing amid controversy.
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One of Wun nears the summit
Featuring Offset, Normani, Leon Bridges and Roddy Ricch, his fifth studio album debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in May 2024.
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The Last Wun closes the YSL era
Released August 8, 2025 with guests including Burna Boy and Wizkid, his sixth album bows at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stands as his final project under YSL Records.
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Wun World Tour
A headlining world trek in support of The Last Wun follows 2024's Bittersweet and Wun of Dem Nights runs, extending his run of global headline tours.
Recognition
Awards and nominations
Gunna has earned four GRAMMY nominations without a win to date: Best Rap/Sung Performance for Drip Too Hard with Lil Baby at the 62nd ceremony, Album of the Year as a featured artist on Doja Cat's Planet Her (Deluxe) at the 64th, and both Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for pushin P with Future and Young Thug at the 65th.
- GRAMMY Award nominations
- 4
- GRAMMY Award wins
- 0
| Year | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Rap/Sung PerformanceNominee | Drip Too Hard (with Lil Baby) |
| 2022 | GRAMMY Awards | Album of the YearNominee | Planet Her (Deluxe), as featured artist |
| 2023 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Rap PerformanceNominee | pushin P (with Future, feat. Young Thug) |
| 2023 | GRAMMY Awards | Best Rap SongNominee | pushin P (with Future, feat. Young Thug) |