Atlanta, Georgia rapper & songwriter Strick releasing his sophomore full-length studio LP after a few delays. Following his debut mixtape Risk=Reward & it’s sequel, this resulted in Young Thug signing him to YSL Records putting out 3 more tapes as well as the debut album Strick Land & more recently the 2Late 2Apologize. 21 months later, he’s at an All Time High regardless of YSL’s ongoing R.I.C.O. case & is ready to share it with the world as fall’s getting ready to start in 3 weeks or so.
The synth-driven “Chess Not Checkers” starts by singing about living like a star ever since signing to YSL whereas “Kisses Make Sure” featuring James Blake & Young Thug gives off an acoustic trap/pop rap vibe so the trio can tackle the themes of love. “Neat Freak” keeps the mellow trap production rolling flexing his current status while the cloudy “Cr@sh” featuring Travis Scott recalls the previous night where shit got too crazy.
“Lacrosse” moves on from there with 110 second trap cut talking about always keeping a stick on him just before “Nightcrawler” hooks up a stripped-back loop & hi-hats getting boastful lyrically. “Recipe for Love” featuring Future has a syrupy flare to the beat calling out their partners for doing them bad, but then “Party @ 4am” moodily talks about turning up in the early hours of the morning.
Meanwhile on “Fighter Jet”, we have Strick over another acoustic trap hybrid beating the odds letting y’all see for yourselves the way he’s living now leading into “Complete You” starting the 2nd leg of the album on the melodic pop rap tip. “On Your Line” intoxicatingly keeps the subject of romance in mind while “Come Alive” featuring 6LACK fuses trap, pop rap & R&B talking about their partners being enlivened during sex.
“Higher Living” serves as this lavish ode to living better while “Vase” produced by ATL Jacob atmospherically tells everyone listening to not let the fast life change you whatsoever. “Voice & Laugh” samples soul music throwing hi-hats into the equation learning a lot about loyalty & missing his ex while “ILY.” hops over a crooning beat talking women & people stealing his style.
Nearing the conclusion of the LP, the penultimate track “Slurricane” goes off-the-top for little over a minute telling his new bitch that he can get her in the mood & he isn’t anything like her previous man in any way shape or form while “Point Proven” ends the album talking about being a rockstar over a horn-laced trap beat.
YSL’s output in last year or so has been extremely hit or miss & I actually happened to enjoy All Time High more than Gunna’s last 2 post-incarceration efforts A Gift & A Curse and One of Wun combined. Mainly because it’s produced better, the guest-list is stronger than Strick Land almost 3 years ago & Strick himself lets everyone know where he’s at in his life currently.
College Park, Georgia rapper Gunna is back with the 4th studio LP in his discography. Beginning back in 2013 off his debut mixtape Hard Body. He would eventually catch the attention of local phenomenon Young Thug just 3 years later & would go on to sign to his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records. However it wasn’t until the release of his debut EP Drip or Drown & his 4th mixtape Drip Season 3 in late 2017 & early 2018 respectively where Gunna’s profile increased significantly. Drip or Drown 2 though was a mediocre full-length debut & W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic) wound up being one of the best trap albums of 2020, but the 4th & final installment of the Drip Season mixtape series aged like milk. Last summer’s A Gift & A Curse was a tad bit better, so I’m hoping that One of Wun would be his best since the sophomore effort.
“collage” gets us started with a cloudy trap opener refusing to stop floating like a ghost whenever he’s in the whip whereas the title track keeps things atmospheric talking about how they all wanted him to lose. “neck on a yacht” has to be one of my favorites on One of Wun from the Turbo instrumental to the braggadocio itself & “whatsap (wassam)” was the best single going for an orchestral trap flare to the beat talking about things getting pushed back even though shit changed.
Meanwhile on “hakuna matata”, we have Gunna psychedelically talking about coming from the bottom & that he’s worth $1M just before “prada dem” featuring Offset links the pair together with some trillwave undertones showing off their swag. “treesh” brings a colorful tone instrumentally describing bad bitches, but then “on one tonight” hooks up a calming backdrop with hi-hats from Nash of Internet Money Records talking about people hating on him for way too long.
“back in the a” kinda has this summery trap tone throughout the beat to discuss returning home while the heavenly “trio” talks about being able to go for 3 referencing the multinational automotive & clean energy company Tesla along with it’s CEO Elon Musk, who bought Twitter couple years ago. To begin the 2nd half of the LP, the cloudy trap flavored “still prevail” assures that he will always remain undefeated & on top while the otherworldly “blackjack” likens the game of life to a gamble & assuring everyone listening that money doesn’t make you legitimate.
Normani pops up for “$$$” mixing pop rap, trap & R&B talking about having the paper on their minds while “clear my rain” overall has a significantly more smoother vibe to it asking his lover if she can be his sunshine. “conscience” clashes some synths & hi-hats together interestingly reassuring everyone that he absolutely did not flip on Thug while “the time” dreamily gets confessional on the lyrical side of things.
“let it breathe” featuring Roddy Rich exuberantly talks about both of them applying pressure the hard way while “life’s changing” cloudily gets on some grown man shit subject-wise. “today i did good” spaciously tells everyone listening right now to open their 3rd eyes so they can see the clearer picture that is until “time reveals, be careful what you wish for” ends on a 2-parter by saying you should be thanking God & your loved ones.
Business is Business always stood out to me more than A Gift & A Curse since Business is Business was the closest thing that we’re gonna get to a Metro Thuggin’ album for right now, but I’ll even take it over One of Wun because what we have from him is another mediocre trap album with some pop rap elements thrown in. I maintain that Lil Baby doesn’t have a project better than Drip Season 3 or W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic), it just sucks that the 3 projects Gunna has given is in the last 2 years has been mid due to the production quality downgrading.
Young Thug is a 31 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia who’s proven himself to have impacted the modern sound of trap music whether some heads like him or not whether it be dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY or starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He finally dropped his full-length debut So Much Fun a few summers back executive produced by J. Cole & was one of the best trap projects of that year, but the 2021 sophomore effort P*nk received mixed reviews although I thought it was still solid although not as good as the debut. He was then arrested on R.I.C.O. charges last spring & hasn’t really been around much since then aside from a few features until announcing his 3rd album the previous weekend.
“Paradise on Cleveland” by Metro Thuggin’ featuring Drake is legitimately one of the best openers to an album in this subgenre that I’ve heard all year with it’s cloudy trap instrumental from Metro Boomin’ combined with Big Slime & the 6 God’s lyrics about business being exactly that appropriately nodding to the album title along with the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon reference whereas “Money on the Dresser” works in some organs & hi-hats detailing his luxuries. “Gucci Grocery Bag” is a playful trap ode to his own personal grocery bag made from the Italian high-end luxury fashion house Gucci just before “Cars Bring Me Out” featuring Future blends these acoustics & hi-hats thanks to Wheezy once again exploring the lifestyle of the rich & famous.
Cactus Slatt links up with Yak Gotti & 21 Savage for the spacey trap banger “Wit da Racks” obviously flexing their wealth in their own distinctive fashion leading into “Uncle M” reuniting Metro Thuggin’ once more with the bell-infused trap beat talkin’ comparing himself to Uncle Murda for nearly 2 & a half minutes. “Abracadabra” gives off a more drearier vibe featuring co-production from Young Thug’s longtime collaborator London on da Track so Cactus Slatt can join forces 1 last time to drop some braggadocio, but then Dr. Luke’s angelic trap instrumental on “Went Thru It” surprisingly caught my interest as did the line during the hook about saving the world in a dress referencing the artwork of his classic Jeffery mixtape.
Drake returns 1 last time on “Oh U Went” by Metro Thuggin’ co-produced by G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer BoogzDaBeast & the Australian production duo FNZ going for a more sample-based vibe with some hi-hats of course discussing playing how it is along with the fact that they’ve been players for years now while “Want Me Dead” featuring 21 Savage starts off sampling a couplet of lines from the outro from 2Pac’s 4th posthumous album albeit 8th overall Better Dayz which I think might surprise some heads prior to Metro, Dre Moon & Allen Ritter all cooking up a gorgeously shimmery trap beat going in to detail of being up yet coming from the struggle.
“Hellcat Kenny” dives into more upbeat territory courtesy of F1LTHY from Working on Dying so Thug & Lil Uzi Vert can both boast together while “Mad Dog” by Metro Thuggin’ shifts gears with it’s atmospheric trap instrumental talking about his top dog status once again. Also, the way he started the song by saying the Metro Thuggin’ album is long overdue is 110% facts & that gives me hope we’ll get it down the line. The crooning sample throughout “Jonesboro” is something I absolutely can’t get enough of & the idiots theorizing that the “N***a told & he was my homie. I can’t miss him, ain’t nobody feel him” line being about Gunna is hilarious especially since he himself shared the tracklist & QR code of this very album on his Instagram. I’d say it’s more towards YSL Woody & anybody else in the YSL/R.I.C.O. case that also took plea deals since Gunna wasn’t the only one at all.
The penultimate track “Hoodie” featuring BSlime & Lil Gotit also happens to be a So Icey Boyz reunion with Metro & the 808 Mafia co-founder Southside whipping up a piano trap ballad that talks durag business except BSlime’s verse in the middle of it is underwhelming compared to Young Thug’s at the start & even Lil Gotit’s verse at the end although his music overall generally tends to be more hit or miss compared to his older brother Lil Keed who unfortunately passed away of eosinophilia last spring. “Global Access” wraps things up with Metro Thuggin’ going in a mellow trap direction nodding the “Bought a crib for my mama off that mumblin’ shit” bar on “R.I.P.” off Playboi Carti’s groundbreaking debut Die Lit.
However, there are 2 bonus cuts that’ve been added onto the album as part of the official deluxe version that I felt like were most certainly with mentioning. The first of them being “Money” featuring the late Juice WRLD & Nicki Minaj over a sample of the “Momey Song” by Monty Python flipped by another G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Charlie Heat redeeming himself after wasting 3 of his beats on DaBaby’s latest EP Call da Fireman almost a couple months back so Thugger, Juice & Nicki can showboat exactly how fresh all 3 of them are. The 2nd & final bonus track “Sake of My Kids” has a more tropical trap vibe from Wheezy calling himself a king like Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John & REVOLT TV founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy & Diddy or to Roc like JAY-Z.
I stand by P*nk being a solid sophomore effort despite it not being on par with the debut which has quickly become a top 5 Thug project for me, but Business is Business has already revealed itself to be his best since So Much Fun. Easily better than A Gift & A Curse on top of that. The production’s stronger due to Metro overseeing & producing 60% of it as well as the outside producers mostly matching his caliber, the features are more toned down rarely missing the mark & Young Thug himself gets a lot off his chest about what he’s been going through. And 1 last thing: Lyrics should never be used against artists in court regardless of whether you like them or not. Free Sex!
Gunna is a 30 year old rapper from College Park, Georgia who got his footing in back in 2013 off his debut mixtape Hard Body. He would eventually catch the attention of local phenomenon Young Thug just 3 years later & would go on to sign to his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records. However it wasn’t until the release of his debut EP Drip or Drown & his 4th mixtape Drip Season 3 in late 2017 & early 2018 respectively where Gunna’s profile increased significantly. Drip or Drown 2 though was a mediocre full-length debut & W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic) wound up being one of the best trap albums of 2020, but the 4th & final installment of the Drip Season mixtape series aged like milk. But after being released from prison this past winter, he’s returning days until summer by dropping his 3rd album.
“back at it” is a trap rock opener produced by Turbo talking about how he can’t be stopped now that he’s home whereas “back to the moon” has a more delicate sound to it advising those who don’t fuck with him not to do what he does. “idk no more” discusses not trusting anyone at all over a booming trap instrumental, but then “paybach” has a more cloudier quality to the beat this time around addressing those who’ve turned his back on him.
Moving on from there, “ca$h $hit” continues forward in the form of an atmospheric trap ballad dedicated to the paper leading into “fukumean” fusing these woodwinds & pianos with hi-hats confidently talking about being in good spirits at the end of the day despite everything that’s happened. “rodeo dr” returns to a more trillwave route as the lyrics are laced with braggadocio just before “bottom” talks about coming from nothing over a symphonic trap instrumental.
“p angels” explains having to swerve because they were all in his lane with some prominent hi-hats & a solemn loop while “born rich” goes for a more futuristic approach with the beat provided by Larrance Dopson of the west coast production team 1500 or Nothin’ talking about his kids being born into wealth. “go crazy” is another piano/trap crossover discussing that it’s deeper than rap while “bread & butter” was a decent pick for a single with it’s groovy trap production talking about doing whatever for money.
The song “turned your back” has a wavier feeling sonically admitting that he still hasn’t found his peace yet while the penultimate track “i was just thinking” reflects on when he was hard-headed & everything that could’ve been avoided on top of an acoustic guitar with some hi-hats of course. “alright” on the other hand ties up the album on a moodier note courtesy of Cubeatz assuring that everything will be ok when it’s all said & done.
Look: I’ll always defend Drip Season 3 & W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic) as the strongest bodies of work in Gunna’s catalog. That being said: I came away from A Gift & A Curse to be a mediocre comeback from YSL’s biggest signee. The production is a step down from Drip Season 4 if I’m being quite honest although I’m impressed with him not overloading 60% of it with features like he did on that previous tape & I can’t deny his confident passion.
This is the 6th & final mixtape from late Atlanta, Georgia rapper Lil Keed. Emerging in 2018 off his first 2 mixtapes Trapped in Cleveland & Slime Avenue, it was enough to catch the attention of local trap pioneer Young Thug & sign him to Thugger’s very own 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records shortly after. Keed eventually made his YSL debut with his 3rd mixtape Trapped in Cleveland 2 & & eventually landing a spot on the label’s Slime Language compilation that summer. The follow-up Keed Talk to ‘Em on the other hand is undeniably his best tape & Long Live Mexico wound up being a decent full-length album albeit being his only one, but Trapped in Cleveland 3 & even 3.5 were mediocre to say the least. But as I like many others were hoping that he would bounce back last spring, Keed unfortunately passed away of eosinophilia at the age of 24.
“Go See” opens things up with a sample based-trap instrumental as Keed talks about those who thought he was a disgrace were amazed how far he came until his untimely passing whereas “Bags to the Sky” has a more tropical quality to the beat thanks to JetsonMade touching on going from Ralph Lauren to Gucci. ΠΔV tags along for the hypnotic, Bollywood inspired “Muso Kuso” talking about the type of swag they got leading into Keed’s brother Lil Gotit joining him for “SRT” admitting that neither of them wanna fuck over some strings & hi-hats.
However, “Hottest” with Big Sean seems to be an attempt at a spiritual successor to “Hot” by Thug & Gunna down to the instrumental that falls flat on it’s face until the Offset-assisted “How Many” picks things back up with it’s orchestral beat & the lyrics pondering the amount of bitches they took. “Get Money” with Trippie Redd has some more rage vibes surprisingly as they touch on their respective hustles, but then “Think About It” comes through with a heartfelt trap ballad touching on the paranoia that he was feeling.
“Long Way to Go” is a pop rap jam that I think YSL made the right choice of making the lead single as Keed admits that he was feeling like he was closer than ever while “Can’t Fall Victim” comes through with an acoustic trap fusion touching on him feeling the symptoms of being rich. Big Slime dominates “All I Wanna Know” for a compelling ballad produced by London on da Track asking if anyone’s rocking with them as his fallen protege only pops up for the final verse while “Lost My Trust” with Cordae finds the 2 over some woodwinds & hi-hats calling out hoes for sleeping with their homies.
Moving onto “Hitman”, we get a trap beat with some heinous piano melodies & lyrics about how his assassin never takes days off while “Betty Boop” with Karlae comes through with a pop rap/trap crossover providing a strip club ballad for all the baddies out there. Lil Jairmy comes through with one of the weaker feature performances on “Off Land” despite the Einer Bankz instrumental & the themes of stepping on shit like soldiers prior to the Wheezy-laced “Big Bag” with Thugger & Dolly White picking it up with a harp/trap hybrid about wealth.
StickBaby’s verse on the bassy “Kick Back” is underwhelming although I love how the Render brothers were both thuggin’ à la the greatest Grand Theft Auto game of all-time San Andreaswhile the song “Self Employed” was my favorite single that was released leading up to the tape with a touching pop rap cut talking about the self paid life that he was living. The penultimate track “Love Me Again” reaches the climax of the tape on an emotional note showing off how young, fly & flashy he was with the gospel flavored closer “Thank You Lord” enhancing the bittersweetness up to 11.
Despite everything that’s been going on with YSL for the past 10 months, Keed Talk to ‘Em 2 is surprisingly the best thing to come from the label since then & a solid sendoff for Keed. The production’s better, the dosage of features are just right although there are only a couple of them who missed the landing & you get a good look as to where here was at in his life before God abruptly decided to call him home. If this is the last time we’ll get a project from him, then they did him right.
This is the surprise sophomore album from Houston, Texas rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Rising to prominence in the spring of 2019 with the release of her debut mixtape Fever, I myself was very impressed with how it displayed Megan’s knack for catchy songwriting, dirty south/Memphis inspired production & a unique personality. Her popularity began to rapidly increase off her 3rd EP Suga & the full-length debut Good News, but Something for thee Hotties: From thee Archives was a bit underwhelming in my opinion. However, I was optimistic going into Traumazine over here given how much I genuinely enjoyed the singles she’s dropped recently.
“NDA” is a horn-laced opener asking where the real bitches at whereas “Ungrateful” with Key Glock calling out the fake shit over a piano/trap hybrid from BandPlay, which is just mild in my personal opinion. “Not Nice” takes a cloudier route getting on her fuck you shit just before Latto tags along for the OG Parker-produced “Budget” talking about upping their prices.
Meanwhile on “Her”, we have Megan embracing a dancier sound thanks to CashMoneyAP & YoungKio acknowledging that she’s pretty as fuck leading into “Gift & a Curse” weaves some keys back in provided by Murda Beatz talking about how fuckin’ with her is both a gift & a curse at the same time. “Ms. Nasty” is a cloudier cut declaring herself as such, but then the Pooh Shiesty-assisted “Who Me” has a more nocturnal trap vibe that Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor brings to the table talking about fucking.
“Red Wine” shoots for a sensually glossy aesthetic asking to give her some time while “Scary” with Rico Nasty finds the 2 best females in the mainstream right now (not the best right now overall period. That would be Rapsody) over a spooky instrumental sending shots to the hoes they got beef with & even though “Anxiety” is a bit oxymoronic given the playful production & Megan’s lyrics about having bad days too, it’s good.
Moving on from there, “Flip Flop” throws in an incredible sample in the mix going on that she’s fightin’ tears behind her smile while “Consistency” with a clever Isley Brothers flip from Bongo getting romantic. “Star” is a funky ballad rightfully rubbing her superstar status in the noses of everyone while “Pressurelicious” has a weirdly mixed verse from Future despite the Memphis rap undertones & the subject matter about their affluence & shared toxicity.
The song “Plan B” weaves a killer JoDeCi sample into the fold to deliver an passionate female empowerment anthem which is needed because of the Roe vs. Wade overturning while the Juicy J/Mr. Lee-laced “Southside Royalty” freestyle with Big Pokey, Lil’ Keke & Sauce Walka is an immaculate ode to H-Town. “Sweetest Pie” however ends the album on an Atlanta Bass note promising the ride of her man’s life.
If you were disappointed with Something for thee Hotties like I was, then I definitely think you’re gonna like Traumazine a bit more. The production is just as varied as Good News was almost 2 years ago at this point & how Megan decided to move on from the whole Tory drama to remind everyone that she’s gonna win regardless.
Karlae is a 28 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who happens to be the ex-fiancée of trap pioneer Young Thug. She eventually got into making music when YSL Records put out their very 1st showcase compilation Slime Language a day before their founder’s 27th birthday & considering that Strick just dropped his 6th mixtape The Machine 3 a little over a month ago, Karlae’s finally stepping up to the plate next with a debut tape of her very own.
“Chit Chat” is a cutthroat opener talking about not being with the bullshit whereas “Gotta Get Touched” with the late Lil Keed takes a cloudier route getting raunchy. Dess Dior tags along for the bell-infused “Cap Ain’t Nothing” to remind everyone that they know how they come, but then “Respect” with Gunna shoots for a cloudier aesthetic talking about coming out the mud.
Meanwhile on “My Type”, we have Karlae & Yung Mal on top of an acoustic trap instrumental describing their preferences in partners leading into the jangly “Someone Like Me” pondering what others think when they see her. “Ballet” has an industrial trap flare to it as she & Yak Gotti talk about dancing on bitches, but then “Wishful Thinking” comes through with a decent 2-minute R&B ballad.
“Last Goodbye” weaves some rock influences to confess that she feels lonely after being broken up while “Bad” mixes some horns & handclaps talking about going bad because she’s bad as fuck herself. “Boondocks” has to be my least favorite cut in the album from the uneventful production to the award chemistry between Karlae & Bhad Bhabie, but the Sonyae-assisted “Left” picks it up with it’s cloudy beat & the subject matter of everything being litty.
Following that, “I Like” with Coi Leray was a decent cut off YSL’s final showcase compilation to date Slime Language II that makes it’s way onto here while the song “Blind” with Lil Yachty embraces a more playful tone talking about being blinded by love. The penultimate track “Did That” samples Kool & the Gang showing off her wealth & “On You” ends the album on a cavernous note as she & Thugger profess their love for one another.
I’ve been wanting this chick to put out a project from the moment I first heard her spitting on “U Ain’t Slime Enough” off Slime Language & now that we finally got it, I’m a little torn on the finished product. She’s not a bad songwriter or performer by any means, but a couple of the features underperformed & a good portion of the production doesn’t really have that many interesting ideas to me.
This is the 5th mixtape from College Park, Georgia rapper Gunna. Coming up in 2013 off his debut mixtape Hard Body, he would eventually catch the attention of local phenomenon Young Thug just 3 years later would go on to sign to his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records. However it wasn’t until the release of his debut EP Drip or Drown & his 4th mixtape Drip Season 3 in late 2017 & early 2018 respectively where Gunna’s profile increased significantly. Drip or Drown 2 though was a mediocre full-length debut & W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic) wound up being one of the best trap albums of 2020, but is kicking off 2022 by dropping Drip Season 4.
“private island” kicks the whole tape off with an acoustic trap instrumental from Wheezy talking about living it up whereas the violin-infused “pushin’ P” with Future & Young Thug finds the trio talking about percs. “poochie gown” then sees the So Icey Boyz mixing some piano chords & heavy bass talking about having a bad bitch in his penthouse & pathetically trying to throw a jab at Freddie Gibbs, but then Thugger returns for the thunderous “mop” going back & forth with one another very well.
Meanwhile on “thought i was playing”, we have 21 Savage tagging along on top of an entrancing Mike WiLL Made-It beat going at those who don’t take them seriously leading into “how you did that?” showing Turboworking in some keys & a flute to talk about the famous lifestyle even though Kodak Black’s parts don’t hold up to Gunna’s at all. “alotta cake” has these amazing harps from Metro Boomin’ getting materialistic just before “livin’ wild” shows off a well used Keith Sweat sample talking about going through changes.
“you & me” goes into a more sexual turf as Taurus samples Jon B, Chris Brown & Bri Steves all together while “south to west” once again gets boastful on top of a theatrical trap beat. Lil Baby comes into the picture for “25k jacket” going back to a more violin-influenced vibe talking about going back to back even though I wish it was a little bit longer than just 2 minutes while “too easy” with Future brings back the harps detailing how simple this rap shit is to them.
“idk that bitch” has a more cavernous sound to it as he & G Herbo call out those marrying women they don’t even know whereas “flooded” goes into a more guitar-driven direction talking about his ice. Nechie drops the worst feature verse on “life of sin” even though I really like the overall vibe of it, but then “die alone” with Chris Brown & Yung Bleu comes off as a painfully bland romance ballad.
The track “missing me” has a more cloudier vibe to it instrumentally addressing a woman who left his heart aching while the final actual song on the album “so far ahead > empire” starts off as a piano ballad talking about making it, but switches into acoustic turf expressing a desire to build an empire. As for the “too easy” remix with Roddy Ricch, I could’ve done without it.
For this to be the conclusion of the Drip Season series, I’d have to say it’s my 2nd favorite installment right behind the 3rd one. His production choices are continuing to get better with each project he puts out & the same applies to his performances, but overdid it on the features much like Thug did on Punkback in the fall.
Megan Thee Stallion is a 26 year old rapper from Houston, Texas who rose to prominence in the spring of 2019 with the release of her debut mixtape Fever. I myself was very impressed with how it displayed Megan’s knack for catchy songwriting, dirty south/Memphis inspired production & a unique personality. Her popularity began to rapidly increase last year off her 3rd EP Suga & the full-length debut Good News but in light of Megan on the verge of graduating from Texas Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in health administration, she’s compiling together a bunch of old freestyles & some unreleased joints to celebrate.
“Tuned In” sets the compilation off with a bouncy Juicy J & OG Parker instrumental clapping back at those speaking ill of her name whereas “Megan Monday” takes a more rubbery approach rightfully flexing her spot as the illest female rapper in the mainstream (not the illest overall, don’t get it twisted). After the “Trippy” skit, “Southside Forever” eerily details her famous lifestyle just before “Outta Town” works in a xylophone & some snares telling people to call her Dr. Miami the way she bodies cats.
Meanwhile on “Megan’s Piano”, we get a fitting keyboard loop throughout with a bass-line on top of it & Megan talking about making moves in silence leading into the “VickeeLo & DinoBtw Skit”. Following this is the kinky “Eat It” with a bombastic Murda Beatz/FNZ instrumental & then Buddah Bless works in a chipmunk soul sample for “All of It” talking about wanting a scammer.
“Warning” thunderously cautions all the broke dudes out there while “Kitty Kat” almost takes a funkier approach & even though I appreciate the message behind it calling her haters pussies, the hook is annoying. After the “Tina Snow” interlude, “God’s Favorite” admirably weaves in a down-tuned guitar instrumental despite sounding underwritten & the DJ scratches throughout the grimy “Lemme See It” are really cool talking about being a female pimp.
I think the vocal sample throughout “Opposite Day” really enhances the energy of it saying she likes making bitches mad & “Freakend” gets back on the raunchy shit with a bit more moodier sound. “Bae Goals” is a touching dedication to her boyfriend Pardison Fontaine, but then “Pipe Up” melodically talks about both of them making their own paper & being in love.
The track “Bless the Booth” brings in an airy backdrop & a rubbery bass-line calling out those who see her as a threat while the final song on the comp “Thot Shit” is a decent little strip club banger. But to end the entire thing, “To Thee Hotties” comes through with a spoken word outro thanking all of her fans for sticking by her throughout all these years.
I still maintain my claims that Megan is the illest female rapper in the mainstream right now but truth be told, I wasn’t really expecting much from this compilation to begin with. Lo & behold: I’m kinda on the fence with it. I think the freestyles are a reminder of how lyrically skilled she is, but the outtakes have slightly more hits than misses.
This is the sophomore album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Young Thug. Hate him or love him, but the man has proven himself as a modern trap icon from dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY to starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He finally dropped his full-length debut So Much Fun a couple summers back & not only was it executive produced by J. Cole, but it also ended up being the best trap project of that entire year. So given that, I was very excited going into P*nk over here.
“Die Slow” is a bare acoustic opener sending a warning to anyone who goes against him, but then the T-Minus produced “Stressed” feels like a J. Cole song featuring T-Shyne since there’s barely any Thugger presence & Cole’s flow is just so hilariously awful. Metro Thuggin’ returns for “Stupid” which once again takes the bare acoustic route calling out an idiot just before “Asking” switches into some keyboards & snares getting romantic.
Meanwhile on “Recognize Real”, we have Gunna tagging along on top of a low register guitar tone talking about not being victimized leading into “Contagious” touchingly calls for more loyalty. BSlime & Future come into the picture for the piano-tinged “Peepin’ Out the Window” talking about doubling up in life whereas “Rich N***a Shit” works in a bass-heavy Pi’erre Bourne beat as Thugger & the late Juice WRLD get on the materialistic tip.
A$AP Rocky hops on the stripped back “Livin’ It Up” to help talk about how they’re doing good in life now while “Yea Yea Yea” has a danceable Wheezy instrumental expressing his gratitude. “Insure My Wrist” has a lavish Taurus beat as Gunna returns to look back on going from being broke to rich in a span of a decade, but then the Lil Double 0-assisted “Scoliosis” seems like a parody of “Hot”.
“Bubbly” starts out with Thugger & Travis Scott bombastically speaking on their career blasting, but I felt like the beat switch from Cardo during Drake’s verse was a bit unnecessary. “Road Rage” takes a cloudier turn talking about chasing those millions while “Faces” vulnerably opens up about his heart being gone because of a ratchet double crossing him.
I think Turbo’s production on “Droppin’ Jewels” is perfect as Thugger spits some real life shit while “5th Day Dead” hazily addresses those who hate seeing you racking. “Icy Hot” is a romance duet with Doja Cat that has nothing going on instrumentally, but then “Love You More” kinda seems underwritten despite it’s positive message & Jeff Bhasker’s poppier sound.
The penultimate track “Hate the Game” takes it back to the acoustic direction addressing all the people who’ve talking down on him throughout his career referencing the beloved Shrek franchise owned by the NBCUniversal subsidiary of the Comcast Corporation & “Day Before” with the late Mac Miller finds them on top of a sample of “charlie brown” by Verzache speaking on how they don’t need a lot, but have a lot.
Now this album isn’t as great as So Much Fun, but I still ended up enjoying it. I think it’s pretty cool that he kinda takes it back to the BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS says in terms of sound as well as fusing elements of alternative R&B, but just wish he’d kinda tone it down with the features a little bit.
Legends Will Never Die 