Coronavirus

HIP-HOP

Gunna Brings the Drip Back Home for Billboard's Hip-Hop Live Concert Series in Atlanta

9/20/2019 by Michael Saponara

Gunna returned home on Thursday night (Sept. 19) as the headliner to the second installment of the Billboard Hip-Hop Live concert series, powered by Mountain Dew. Prior to the Drip God taking the jampacked Buckhead Theatre stage, DJ Ohso and Jinx, who doubled as host for the night, warmed up the crowd of nearly 1,000 crazed fans with some help from Paige Shari.   

Young Gunna stepped out to a warm reception from those in attendance for the free show with a white jacket and denim blue jeans on, which were fittingly complemented by his Hermès belt. What makes this concert series unique, is the fact that fans in the building and those viewing via live stream can participate in controlling the show with song requests by using the #MtnDewCrwdCntrl hashtag.    

After kicking off with Drip or Drown 2 cuts "Wit It," "Pedestrian," and "Outstanding," the first request came in the form of Slime Language standout "Chanel (Go Get It,) sans guest appearances from Thugger and Lil Baby. The Wheezy-produced "Baby Birkin" would draw one of the loudest ovations of the night, as fans belted out every lyric right back at Gunna. 

Just before taking a breather and undergoing another wardrobe change, the ATL native detailed what's so special about coming back to see the endless love from his hometown. "I do this shit every other day. This is home," he emphatically stated. "To have your people come show you love, it don’t get no better than that. This shit is our city. When we leave, I’m repping Atlanta."  

Upon his return in a paint-splattered Iron Maiden t-shirt, black leather pants, and a red designer harness, Gunna heated things up with "3 Headed Snake," "Sold Out Dates," and took everyone to Astroworld for "Yosemite." As part of the enhanced fan experience, one Gunna fanatic by the name of Tamell had the opportunity to FaceTime in from hundreds of miles away to ask his favorite rapper a couple questions.

With Tamell on his journalistic tip, Gunna confirmed that Super Slimey 2 is only about halfway done, but with the progress he's making with Lil Baby, Future, and Thug, he expects the project to drop in the early part of 2020. As far as advice for the kid, who said he recently dropped out of school to pursue music full-time, Gunna relayed a simple message. "Don't stop," he said.

The final fan request of the night ended up being Young Thug's "Hot," which has held firm at No. 43 on the Hot 100 this week. Gunna actually provided some insight regarding the So Much Fun fan-favorite, as he explained that the track actually uses a recording of himself breathing heavily at the opening of the track.

Gunna closed out the show by inviting the style cam contest winner and her friends on stage to bring the energy to another level for he and Lil Baby's "Drip Too Hard" anthem. The Billboard Hip-Hop Live concert series continues in NYC later this year. 

Find some highlights from the show below. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

-- view from @draislv VIP lounge at Billboard Hip Hop Live in Atlanta! Who is here with us? #ad #BBHHLive

A post shared by Billboard (@billboard) on

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Atlanta + @Gunna + Billboard Hip-Hop Live = --#ad #MtnDewCrwdCntrl

A post shared by Billboard Hip-Hop (@billboardhiphop) on

THE BILLBOARD BIZ
SUBSCRIBER EXPERIENCE

The Biz premium subscriber content has moved to Billboard.com/business.


To simplify subscriber access, we have temporarily disabled the password requirement.