Fat Joe says the “rat” allegations attached to Gunna’s name make it difficult for him to listen to the rapper’s new album.
Gunna released his new album, The Last Wun, last week to rave reviews from listeners, although some fans still refused to listen to it following snitching allegations. As you can recall, the “Fukumean” rapper, whose real name is Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, was one of Young Thug’s co-defendants in the YSL Rico case.
Gunna was one of the first co-defendants to take a plea deal in the case, paving the way for his release from jail before the trial after pleading guilty. That move has proven to be detrimental to his relationship with Young Thug and other rappers affiliated with YSL. Last year, Thugger sent out a tweet stating that he and Gunna are not friends.
Despite the heavy scrutiny over the rat allegations, Gunna is seeing his career rise thanks to the new music he has been releasing. Fans seemed to be gravitating more towards his music even more than labelmate Young Thug.
In a recent Joe & Jada Podcast episode, Fat Joe weighs in on the issue, telling Jadakiss that it’s problematic when people ask him to listen to Gunna’s new album.
“You got some guys that are the hottest guys in the game, Rats,” Joey said. “Like I get a phone call from somebody. He says, ‘Yo man, you got to check this album out.’” Fat Joe admitted he hasn’t listened to the album, and he likely won’t. He continues, “Listen, ever since I assumed you a rat, your people ain’t f***ing with you no more. I’m off you no matter what you do.”
“I’ve been through this in my life,” Joe added. “And so to see it so acceptable how everybody’s acting like, ‘Yo, it’s OK, it’s no problem, it’s good music. Let’s separate the art form from what it is.'”
The topic of snitching has been a major talking point in hip-hop in recent years following 6ix9ine’s racketeering case in New York. In 2019, 69 copped a plea deal and snitched on his friends, including his former manager and founder of Tr3yway Entertainment, Kifano ‘Shotti’ Jordan, who is now serving a 15-year prison sentence.
Following his release, 6ix9ine would go on to have a successful music career, sparking a debate over whether or not “snitching” is no longer a taboo issue in hip-hop.
Like 6ix9ine, Gunna has been experiencing tremendous commercial success with his new music. His album, The Last Wun, which is likely his last album under his deal with YSL, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling 80,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of release.
As for Young Thug, he has remained relatively quiet about his current relationship with Gunna. However, he has new music coming out soon, so let’s see if he will address it.