There was a time it seemed that Atlanta rappers Gunna and Lil Baby were inseparable. From crafting their joint album, Drip Harder, in 2018, to appearing on each others’ performances, projects, and tours throughout the years since, they’ve been thought of as an unofficial tandem by hip-hop heads since their parallel breakouts in 2017. They were even rumored to be working with Future and Young Thug on a spiritual sequel to Drip Harder and Super Slimey, although nothing was ever solidified.
But things may have changed recently, thanks to the YSL racketeering case and Gunna’s Alford plea. In a new snippet that’s gone viral on Twitter, Lil Baby makes mention of “n****s taking pleas” and posits “slime ain’t happy” — with “slime” being a potential reference to Young Thug, who helped Baby get his start in the music business. Since Baby was never actually part of YSL, he can remain in contact with Thug, while Gunna cannot.
“N*gg*s taking pleas I know that slime ain’t happy.” – Lil Baby in a new snippet.
pic.twitter.com/pxiGuhVP07— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) June 21, 2023
This has led to speculation online that Gunna really is persona non grata among his former rap friends as a result of his recently acquired “snitch” reputation. Of course, rapper’s have reeled off lines about “rats,” “snitches,” and “telling” in raps since time immemorial — even Thug’s new album has a few, and fans have been wondering about his relationship to his former protege ever since.
Only Lil Baby can say what his feelings on Gunna really are, but one thing’s clear: Hip-hop’s obsession with adhering to “street code” — whether it applies or not — isn’t helping anybody.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.