Gunna Earns First Solo Top 10 Hit on Billboard

Back in January 2022, Gunna surprised the nation when his third studio album DS4ever usurped The Weeknd’s Dawn FM album to earn the No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. An immediate catapult into superstardom, this feat by Gunna awoke many listeners to the realization the Atlanta rapper was going to be a force to reckon with in mainstream hip-hop for years to come. Still, though, he had yet to land a song in the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 without any featured artists. Until now.

This week, Gunna’s “fukumean,” the sixth song on his June album a Gift & a Curse, peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100, becoming his first unassisted top 10 hit. What is particularly special about this achievement, though, is that the song’s virality is purely organic. In its first week, attached to the release of a Gift & a Curse, the song debuted at No. 16 on the Hot 100.

But, with its addicting, high-pitched “eyuh” background vocals placed in between each line of lyrics from the emcee, fans continued to gravitate towards the song as time went on. In its second week out, “fukumean” climbed to No. 12 on the Hot 100. Soon after, Gunna would put out the visuals for the song on July 5, which show him cruising on a boat flushed out with a purple-tinted camera filter.

Now, in the third week of “fukumean,” reaching No. 8, Gunna has proven to himself and the hip-hop community that he doesn’t need the help of others. Before this, any top 10 hit of his either was not a song attributed to him as the primary artist or included one or multiple guest appearances.

Gunna’s first top 10 placement came at No. 4 in 2018 with “Drip Too Hard,” featuring Lil Baby. Then in 2020, he joined producer collective Internet Money for their smash hit “Lemonade,” also featuring Houston rapper Don Toliver. The song would peak at No. 6 on the Hot 100. Most recently, before “fukumean” obviously, Gunna’s 2022 collaboration with Future and Young Thug dubbed “Pushin’ P” reached No. 7, as it was the most notable single from his aforementioned, breakthrough DS4ever LP.

Ultimately, the success of “fukumean” this week is just another indication that Gunna’s star is shining and is here to stay, even if old colleagues like Lil Baby and Young Thug have begun to distance themselves from him.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue