Already delivering ONE OF WUN earlier in 2024, Gunna is back on the charts. The Atlanta native ushered in something of a surprise drop in the middle of last week, finally answering portions of his fanbase that clamored for the long-teased “HIM ALL ALONG.” Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Gunna effort.
For all intents and purposes, “HIM ALL ALONG” is a quintessential Gunna song, another piece of red meat for the long-time YSL devotees. Relatedly, it’s worth noting that this was already a highly anticipated song before it was even released; Gunna teased the track via socials on multiple occasions, leaving this as a cut above your typical loose single release. Still, fans have taken its official launch as more proof of a full length around the corner, with select outlets projecting a 2025 release for his sixth.
Gunna Charts A More Vulnerable Course With “HIM ALL ALONG”
But, back to the song. Frequent collaborator Turbo handles production, providing an 808-heavy arrangement that features some lighter fare over top; a reverb-soaked vocal flip does a lot of the heavy lifting in delivering an emotional base layer for the song. Gunna takes that concept and runs with it, opting for a falsetto version of his typical flittering cadence. The narrative, too, follows that idea; despite the boisterous song title, it’s a genuine rags-to-riches tale, recounting the darker days in the ATL rapper’s past. Rather than juxtaposing that to flashy imagery of where he currently stands, Gunna tackles a more self-affirming moral, avowing that he’s naturally been “HIM ALL ALONG.”
As always, the elephant in the room with anything Gunna post-trial is how the hip-hop industry will handle that controversy. While “HIM ALL ALONG” isn’t a particularly notable inflection point in that regard, it’s another indication that his placement on “Rap Caviar” style playlists and radio waves isn’t likely to suffer at this juncture. In fact, it already landed on that exact playlist, stands at over a million streams on multiple platforms and ranks highly on all of said program’s trending lists.
Catch “HIM ALL ALONG” wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Sampha – Lahai (Deluxe) adds an exceptional wing to one of 2023’s best albums.
