In 2017, a song titled “Mr. Clean” was released to the world by an artist under the name Yung Gravy. The song became an instant hit and has more than 150 million Spotify streams. So, who was this smooth talking, witty, and unique rapper? It was none other than Matthew Hauri, better known under his stage name Yung Gravy. To many people, Yung Gravy was just another funny rapper, but to Minnesotans, he was a legend. Born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota, Gravy began making music during his free time at the University of Wisconsin –Madison. After many years of releasing happy-go-lucky music, Gravy was able to leave a huge mark on the map in the rap scene. On Oct. 2, 2020, Yung Gravy released his second full length studio album, “Gasanova,” just a year after his debut album release, “Sensational.”

“Gasanova” follows Gravy as he continues to create fun and humorous music. It takes us through the mind of Yung Gravy in a silly, sarcastic, and playful way. His creativity with punchlines was shown a lot on this album. For example, in “oops!” he says “Lil’ Pillsbury, stacking that dough,” which is a reference to the company Pillsbury that sells dough and also uses the word “dough” to express how much money he has. Just that line alone conveys how creative, clever, and quirky Yung Gravy is in his music. “I feel like this album is just a “‘Sensational’ part two,” sophomore Sam Rogers said, “It’s a great album from him.” Rogers  has been a fan of Gravy for three years now. “I love his samples and his style. It’s so much different than other artists, and I love how he doesn’t change his style. He’s just unique.” Rogers  said. 

Although Rogers thinks that this album is similar to his older work, freshman Lucia Everest disagrees. “While this album is very good, there is something about his older albums that can’t be replicated. It brings a classic Yung Gravy feeling that can’t be replicated on this album,” Everest said. Everest feels like every song on this album has a different vibe to it. “When comparing a few of the songs like, ‘Always Saucy’, ‘Martha Stewart’, and ‘Gas Money’, they all have a very different vibe. In a lot of Yung Gravy’s past albums, the songs had similar feelings attached to them, but this album doesn’t follow that theme,” Everst said.  

In songs from his new album like “Drip on my Dresser” and “Always Saucy,” Gravy talks about his success as a rapper, while in songs like “Martha Stewart” and “Yup!” he reminds us of his love for the older generation. His beat selection is unmatched, he raps fluently, and he rides the instrumental in a laid back way. Although “Gasanova”  isn’t anything too different or in-depth, it’s still a classic Yung Gravy album, and he manages to maintain the sound he’s had since he was first discovered in 2017. Yung Gravy has been seen as a meme rapper for the majority of his career, but this album is proving him to become more than just a joke in the rap game. This is just the beginning of the Minnesota native’s career, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.