Wednesday 5/27: Gunna—"MOTW"
Today, we share our thoughts on “MOTW” by the Atlanta rapper Gunna.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on “MOTW” by the Atlanta rapper Gunna.
Gunna—”MOTW”
Eli Enis:
There are a lot of reasons to love Gunna on his new record WUNNA. For starters, the record is called WUNNA, which is just so silly and downright dumb that it works brilliantly. It also has the best album art I’ve seen all year—across any genre. Then there’s the music itself, on which the Atlanta rapper sounds at once more zoned-in and carefree than ever. Instant standouts like “Feigning” “Skybox”, and “Rockstars Bikers & Chains” are pleasantly hype, but strangely enough, the song that turned my head on first listen was “MOTW”. The luxuriously plush Wheezy beat crawls forward nonchalantly, and Gunna’s lines exit his lips with the velocity of shower mist. It’s one of the slowest and most non-nonchalant cuts on the record, but it’s packed with subtleties (breathy ad-libs, vocal delay, a heavenly instrumental) that really bring out the sunset hues of the cover art. Don’t let the album title fool you, this is high-art pop-rap.
Eric Bennett:
Of the numerous rap subgenres that have emerged in the last decade, Mumble Rap has never been one that’s particularly gelled with me. Too often the delivery can feel passionless, even if the topic at hand is one the artist feels strongly about. “MOTW” from Gunna’s second album WUNNA, has not broken this pattern. For me, the delivery is too one-note, and the production is unmemorable. As a listener I need a hook, and while “MOTW” doesn’t have one that draws me in, other moments on WUNNA do. The track directly after, “FEIGNING”, has a lot more of what I’m looking for with its intricate drum machine pattern and more lively vocal performance.