In recent years, the city of Atlanta has come to define the sound of the hip-hop genre to an increasing degree. Despite initially having to play catch-up with the East and West Coast scenes, today there is no shortage of rap artists hailing from the Dirty South who are making waves and pushing the envelope.
Even with so many Atlanta artists leaving an outsized impact on the modern genre, it's still noteworthy when the three most relevant rap albums in a given week are all delivered by artists from the city. This just occurred on Friday when JID, Gunna, and Young Nudy all put out full-length albums.
How do these new drops fit into the 2025 rap landscape? Below is a brief overview and analysis for each of these three new Atlanta releases that will explain what they all bring to the table.
Three new Atlanta rap projects worth checking out
JID - God Does Like Ugly
The anticipation for a new JID album was palpable ever since he came through with his celebrated 2022 work The Forever Story, and that was only built upon when he offered fans a dynamic prelude to this newest album last month. Now that it's here, God Does Like Ugly sees JID continue to flash his artistic talent.
JID is known for his array of flows and formidable wordplay, which he demonstrates again on GDLU, but there's so much more to this album. The tracklist is peppered with a variety of stylistic adventures, and JID does well to craft so many of these songs. From beat switches to topical focus, JID treats his work with admirable care and attention to detail.
Fans will certainly debate where exactly this album should be ranked with respect to JID's other works, but there is no doubt that this is another substantial output from him that is worthy of comparison to his best. GDLU further establishes him as one of the game's most talented acts today.
Gunna - The Last Wun
Gunna was written off as a "snitch" by many after his falling-out with Young Thug in the midst of Thug's notorious legal troubles. But, despite the haters and against the odds, Gunna hasn't stopped pushing forward with his music career, and many would say he's gone on to actually make some of his best stuff yet.
More recently, Gunna has really begun favoring a nocturnal trap direction, and this new album offers that in spades. The beats here tend to be quite vibey and atmospheric in their modern Atlanta way. Gunna isn't a great lyricist, but he's gotten pretty dang good at contributing to the tone set by these beats with his flows and hooks.
Coming in with a daunting 25 tracks, The Last Wun is definitely too long, especially with its pretty samey instrumental palette and limited guests. That being said, it's also chock-full of well-crafted beats, entrancing flows, and a defined sound that Gunna works well in overall. This album is a continuation of his career renaissance.
Young Nudy - PARADISE
In a way, it's kind of a shame that JID and Gunna dropped their new albums when they did, because their presence will likely prevent PARADISE from getting the attention it's due. That's unfortunate, because make no mistake, this is Young Nudy's best batch of tracks to date.
Like Gunna, Young Nudy has found a sonic path that maximizes his attributes, though the vibes he sets are fundamentally different. This production is more eclectic and fun than Gunna's tonally, and always designed to pair well with Nudy's tempered, laid-back rap delivery. The beats don't bang, but they complement him well.
Young Nudy's career has generally been on an upward trajectory since he first broke, and he's become so much more than the cousin of 21 Savage. PARADISE affirms that. It does lose some steam towards the end, but otherwise, its contents are a fine-tuning of the style that best suits the East Atlanta rapper.