The first time producer Dunk Rock met Gunna was in 2020, when he was standing outside of the rapper’s recording studio with a giant sign that said, “I produced a song for Gunna.” Dunk Rock had recently nabbed a co-production credit on Gunna’s “Cooler Than A Bitch” from his No. 1 album WUNNA, and was using the sign as a marketing tactic to hopefully secure more work.
“This was May or June 2020, so we're mid-pandemic. This was [the] biggest placement I'd ever had, and I was really excited, but the world was shut down,” Dunk Rock tells Complex. “So I'm trying to gain momentum off of it and try and use it the best I can to keep going… It honestly wasn't for social media attention.”
Ten minutes later, Gunna pulls up next to the Connecticut-bred producer in a Rolls-Royce. In the video, which caught their brief interaction, the producer informs Gunna that he created the melody on his 2020 single. “That’s some dedication right there. That’s hard,” Gunna replied.
Now, three years later, it would seem Dunk Rock’s commitment paid off. Not only did the producer get more eyes on him after a clip of his interaction with Gunna went viral, but he also landed a production credit on Gunna’s latest single “fukumean.” The track, which was co-produced with Flo, is a standout from Gunna’s new album, A Gift and a Curse, thanks to its hypnotic chants and slick instrumentation. The song also hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Gunna’s first top 10 single as a solo artist, but when Dunk Rock is asked whether he thought it would blow up as much as it has, he simply replies, “Definitely not.”
Still, Dunk Rock is pleased and feeling “blessed” that the song is getting so much love. He also notes that he hopes it opens the door to more opportunities in the future. “[Gunna’s just really cool. He looks out,” Dunk Rock says. “I’ve always been a fan of Gunna and his music… So, I just hope to get even more stuff with him.”
Dunk Rock spoke with Complex over the phone about meeting Gunna, his viral video, and producing “fukumean.”
Can you tell me a little about yourself and background in music?
I'm from a small town called Guilford, Connecticut, near New Haven. I grew up in a very musical household. My father played guitar, my mother was always doing music, and then I started making beats around the end of high school. They were really bad beats on GarageBand. In college, I got this program called Reason. They were still really bad beats, but I started making beats on that and just continued on from there. I went on to work in sales after college, and I hated it. But I was still always making music, and then I just decided to take a shot, come out to LA, and go for it.
How did you get your producer name?
That's actually the name of a street in my hometown. There's a street called Dunk Rock Road, and I always liked the way it sounded, and I took it.
When and how did you meet Gunna?
So I actually never met Gunna up until that video. I had a placement on Gunna's WUNNA album in 2020. It was co-produced with a producer named Tre Pounds, who's an amazing producer. I really owe a lot to him because he took a chance on working with me when I really had nothing going on. Basically, the way that worked is, I sent him [Tre] a guitar loop, he did the rest of the beat, the drums, and then he sent that beat to Gunna and it ended up on his album. This was May or June 2020, so we're mid-pandemic, and I just felt like this was my biggest placement I'd ever had, and I was really excited, but the world was shut down. So I'm trying to gain momentum off of it and try and use it the best I can to keep going. So, I was just like, “You know what? I'm just going to go do this.” Through word of mouth, I knew where their studio was, and I was honestly just hoping that someone would see me outside the studio. It honestly wasn't for social media attention. I thought maybe an engineer or one of his [Gunna’s] friends would see me, but lo and behold, a Rolls-Royce pulls up, and it's Gunna and Turbo. Honestly, they were really cool. They were really nice. After that interaction, they invited me to the compound, and I met Gunna and I talked to Turbo, and that's how that happened.
"I've done things like this in the past, not with a sign, but I've waited outside of venues for artists with flash drives back in 2014 or 2015. And I would be waiting for hours and hours. But this time, I was literally there for 10 minutes, and then he pulled up."
How long were you waiting out there before Gunna came along?
It was really meant to be, because I've done things like this in the past, not with a sign, but I've waited outside of venues for artists with flash drives back in 2014 or 2015. And I would be waiting for hours and hours. But this time, I was literally there for 10 minutes, and then he pulled up. So it was supposed to happen.
Have you been able to build other connections since the video has gone viral?
Totally. The producer community was really, really supportive of it. I had a ton of producers and artists too, but definitely the producers were all reaching out saying, “Yo, that's solid.” They know how it goes, just being a producer, so they were like, “I love it that you're putting your name out there.”
What else did you and Gunna discuss after the cameras stopped rolling?
I went inside and I was like, “I appreciate you. It's great to be on the album.” He was like, “That's what's up. Nice to meet you.” And then I just talked to Turbo for a little while after. Nothing too crazy afterwards.
Did you expect “fukumean” to blow up the way it did?
Definitely not. The thing is, I love how the song was such a team effort. I did the beat, obviously, but the beat wouldn't have happened if not for Gunna's engineer, Flo. He basically reached out to me earlier this year and was like, “Hey, we need some beats. Send some stuff.” He's co-produced on there as well. So that beat is also a little bit rearranged because of what he did. Then you also obviously have Gunna, who's a hitmaker and just makes amazing music. So he's sliding, and you have the woman's voice on there. Her name is P. Litty, and Gunna mentions her in the song. She did the “eeyah” part, which is amazing. And then you have Nechie as the one doing that “fukumean” chant. It's so many different things that came together, and I just feel really blessed to be a part of it.
When Flo asked you to send over some beats, about how many samples did you send over?
Over the course of a little over six months, I probably sent close to 100 beats. Yeah. That's honestly on par. Producers send a lot of beats. You know, that's what we do. People have sent 1,000 beats just to get one on the album. That beat I remember because I was just sending a b-side I had made more recently. I was like, I'm sending in my best stuff, my new stuff. But I had made that beat in early 2022, and I was like, “This could be cool.” So I was just threw that in the pack.
"The producer community was really, really supportive of it... They know how it goes, just being a producer, so they were like, 'I love it that you're putting your name out there.'"
What exactly were your contributions to the beat of “fukumean?”
I did pretty much all the instrumentation and the drums. There's a piano and a flute, which is the main melody. Then it's really just the drums on top of that, 808s, which is the main bass, the kick, hi-hats, and some snare and percussion elements. So pretty much the musical elements, I did. Then Flo arranged it and put it all together.
When did you learn the track would be on his album A Gift and a Curse?
You never really know. Flo let me know maybe a month in advance. He was like, “Hey, I think they want to use this.” But you've got to take everything with a grain of salt. You just really don't know. Everything could change last minute. So I was hopeful that they would use it. Then Gunna's manager reached out to me, but you still don't know until it's out. So the first time I heard the song was when it actually dropped. It was a really cool moment.
Is there anything you might have learned from working with and interacting with Gunna? He's just really cool. He looks out. Honestly, the whole reason why that video went viral again was because Gunna follows a fan page account of his called Gunna Fandom on Instagram. He basically DM'd them and said, “Hey, this producer produced ‘Cooler Than A Bitch’ and he also did ‘fukumean.’” So that page posted that and put the video on, and that's what sparked it again. So that was him just being a real one and showing love. I just really appreciate him.
"The woman's voice on there. Her name is P. Litty, and Gunna mentions her in the song. She did the “eeyah” part, which is amazing. And then you have Nechie as the one doing that 'fukumean' chant."
There has been a lot of controversy and news following Gunna recently. As a producer, did you have any reservations about working with him? Do you allow certain headlines to deter you from working with someone?
Being a producer, I just stick to the music. I've always been a fan of Gunna and his music, and I really feel blessed to be a part of what he creates. So, I just hope to get even more stuff with him. I just like to work on music and stay in that lane.
What other music are you working on that you can discuss?
I don't really know placements in advance. They happen last minute, and you never really know for sure. But there are a couple artists that I'm working with that I really like. There's an artist named Dustystaytrue. He's actually from Connecticut, and he's part of SCMG, which is Toosii's label. He's making a lot of noise, and we've been locked in since 2020. I'm not 100 percent sure what's going to come out on this project, but we've been working a lot, and I think he's really great. Then there's also an artist named Shakur Smalls, who is amazing too. He's got a different sound. He's making a lot of noise as well, and we've been locked in. So those are two artists that I'm excited about and that I definitely want to do more with.
