Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus making his YSL Records debut with his 8th EP. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. He’s given us the Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso, Backrooms, King Phønk, I Phønk, U Phønk and Tezzy Pendergrass until Young Thug signed him following 9 Vicious’ departure due to him & Tezzus beefing. Nonetheless, getting ##FilthyLikeMax a couple days succeeding Savior was still a welcoming surprise.
“Animal 🐕🦺🐍🐲” starts with an industrial hip hop intro likening himself to a beast whereas “I’m Røyal 👑🤴🏿👑” goes for a rage-inducing vibe talking about his royalty status. “Bacccarat 💁♀️🛍️💝” featuring Skaiwater & 1300SAINT finds the trio buying out a while Chanel store over a hypertrap instrumental but once “Krøssed Ø Gang 🚂🚫🖤” featuring billi0n & ShawtyRokk angrily refuses to argue with peasants, “Life øf a Dølla 🕊️❤️🔥🕊️” finishes by remembering maxon over a rage beat.
Thug continuing to shift his focus towards rebuilding YSL Records ever since Uy Scuti polarized both critics & fans alike couldn’t have been a smarter move & ##FilthyLikeMax properly introducing himself to the label over 84 hours succeeding his labelmate’s greatest body of work the previous weekend. The production is more prominently centered around the rage subgenre of trap as opposed to Tezzy Pendergrass’ blatant pop rap influence as he & all 4 guests pay tribute to maxon a week after his death.
Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT finally releasing his 3rd LP. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, the main course has arrived.
We get some background vocals & hi-hats colliding all over the intro “Bigger Than Life” so 1300 can describe how he’s been feeling this whole entire year to the world whereas “Kyoto” talks about being posted up in the capital city of the 京都 prefecture of 日本. “Stop Playin” finds himself refusing to go back-&-forth with these clowns online including a jab at his former labelmate 9 Vicious just before the cloudy “Slitherin’” talks about having his way.
Lil Gotit fresh off his new collaborative album with his late brother Lil Keed this past Halloween appears on “R.I.P. Pope” so they can sell swag & discuss the way both of them are living while “Heard It All” embraces a hazier trap vibe talking about how that bro shit don’t work with him anymore. “Divine” luxuriously breaks down his expensive habits & assuring the racks don’t speak for him while the flute-tinged “Mona Lisa” talk about possibly needing money counseling.
“Palm Springs” starts the 2nd half of 1300SAVIOR’s sophomore effort for YSL repping his squad for eternity & promising this fine woman that he’s been speaking to that he’ll buy her anything she wants leading into “Slimier > You” boisterously talking about how slimy he is. “Bounty” gives off a shimmery trap atmosphere suggesting you might need another engine to catch up with him while “Soulties” talks about not giving a fuck regarding all these broke ass rapper & not regressing to his past self.
Yung Heir makes the 2nd & final guest appearance of Savior on “Chainz & “Corvettez” decently clarifies they ain’t ever lonely because of the cash flow while “Flaws” talks about getting his killstreak back up. “Return You” likens himself to a pilot the way he make these muhfuckas flying while the “Interlude” feels more like a 3 & a half minutes song talking about going through it all. “Savior Solitude” spaciously concludes by showing off his singing chops over a beat kin to Yeezus.
Now it was confirmed yesterday that 9 Vicious is officially no longer on YSL Records despite Young Thug initially saying he was the weekend Uy Scuti dropped due to Tezzus recently joining the rebuilding label & 9 Vicious having beef with him, 1300SAINT has already paving the way for a new generation of YSL since late February & this could be my favorite project of the 5 he’s dropped since he got signed. The production is more detailed than NewDrug. a few months ago & despite Yung Heir’s feature being the weakest of the 2, I do admire that he & Gotit’s verses make Savior feel less monotonous than All Hail.
Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Young Thug releasing his 4th studio LP fresh off a series of controversial jail phone calls being leaked. Proving himself to have impacted the modern sound of trap music whether some heads like him or not, he has achieved this by dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY or starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He made his full-length debut So Much Fun in 2019 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 & Business is Business felt like the closest we’ll get to a Metro Thuggin’ project for now. Approximately a month following his now ex-girlfriend Mariah the Scientist’s most important offering of her career Hearts Sold Separately, the Atlanta trap trailblazer has finally made up for UY SCUTI’s delays.
“Ninja” produced by Southside & Dez Wright starts with a surprisingly exciting trap intro derailed by dropping the hard R whereas “Yuck” featuring Ken Carson teams up over a Taurus instrumental to discuss shit getting lit. “On the News” featuring Cardi B finds the pair on top of a London on da Track beat to ask what it feels like seeing their faces on the television while “Catch Me I’m Falling” recalls meeting with Brian Steel when incarcerated.
Metro Thuggin’ reunites for “Fucking Told U” to talk about their respective lifestyles just before “Whoopty Doo” hilariously pokes fun at his interview on the Perspektives podcast earlier this month with Wheezy. “Blaming Jesus” has one of my least favorite instrumentals on the album despite the theme of needing real love & pleading that it’s not a phase prior to “Sad Slime” talking about his falling out with Gunna.
“R.I.P. Big & Mack” featuring T.I. unites both trap pioneers of their own generations for a historic Atlanta moment remembering the late Lil Keed who Thug wishes he cherished more than some of the other former artists on YSL while “Invest Into You” by Metro Thuggin’ goes pop rap/trap to talk about investing into Mariah & vice versa. “I’m So Dope” boisterously boasts of his legacy within the subgenre of trap while “Pardon My Back” featuring Lil Baby starts the 2nd half dropping braggadocio.
Sexyy Red joins Thug on “Mami” for a fun strip club banger while “Whaddup Jesus” featuring YFN Lucci squashes the beef between the 2 with an average collaboration over a synth-heavy TM88 beat. “Walk Down” featuring 21 Savage unites both local trap stars over a trap instrumental with some bells to rep their own sets while “Pipe Down” by Cactus Slatt locks in with Metro Boomin’ talking about nobody being richer than them.
“Spider or Jeffery” featuring Quavo lets their lovers know the 2 names that they prefer them to call them by whilst praising God for allowing them to beat the corrupt system while “Revenge” featuring Lil Gotit & 1300SAINT unites the trio to seek pure vengeance.“Money on Money” featuring Future talks about loyalty to their individuals circles & disdain for snitches while “Dreams Rarely Do Come True” featuring Mariah the Scientist is a 2-parter humorously comparing him crying to Gunna snitching to crying over a bitch.
The final single “Miss My Dogs” ends with an apology to everyone addressed in the leaked jail calls while the country trap hybrid “By the Police” starts the deluxe run throwing it back to the Beautiful Thugger Girls era. “Pussy Smell Like This” asks if any younger artist is shinin’ the way he is while “All Your Time” leans heavier towards the pop rap style with lustful lyrics. “Safe” with Leon Thomas III tackles his insecurities that his reputation overshadows while “I Put A” featuring the late Lil Keed talks about these rap dudes not being his kind over a Mike WiLL-Made It beat.
“Rosetta Stone” appreciably takes its cues from the Beautiful Thugger Girls days again although the “fuck that lil’ 13” line made me cringe while “Yes You Can” suggests to let others take his style as long as they ain’t taking his life. “Fighting Depression” happens to be a P*nk outtake that ATL Jacob cooked up talking about feeling superb yet trying to fight for something that he feels deserving of while “It’s Ok to Cry” remembers his late homie who passed away in 2020. “Spit in My Mouth” talks about getting freaky with a Japanese woman in bed & the final bonus track “Birthday Boy” featuring Mariah the Scientist reunites with each other 1 last time for an R&B/pop rap duet seeking trust.
Taking into consideration that this is the first proper solo effort from Young Thug since P*nk because Metro Boomin’ produced 60% of Business is Business over 2 years ago, all the controversy surrounding the YSL founder a few weeks ago had me a bit worried regarding the final product of UY SCUTI. However, I actually enjoyed his final project under 300 Entertainment & Atlantic Records a lot more than P*nk excluding Business is Business & would easily put it above The Last Wun. It’s exciting to hear him with other producers on Metro’s level & Thugger’s more introspective since coming home.
Here is the 4th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & now New Drug.
“Worry ‘Bout Yours.” opens with a guitar & hi-hats pleading for the girl he’s seeing to not say that she loves him whereas “Bloodsucker.” talks about pulling up too way. “Set.” featuring ApolloRed1, Diorvsyou & Sk8star finds the quartet rocking out together for a monumental collaboration while “Kutta.” derives itself from some of Playboi Carti’s material. The song “Not @ All” talks about not going back to being broke & finally, “Pray2theLord.” made for a decent outro flexing that his success was all done his way.
1300 has already put out an album & 3 EPs since joining the YSL umbrella, but I found New Drug to be a slight improvement over the 4-pack we got from him earlier in the summer & whether we get Savior within the coming months or next year, I still enjoy everything he & 9 Vicious have put out more than Gunna’s final offering for the label last weekend. Production’s not as good as All Hail or Saint Season, but at least it’s more detailed than The Last Wun’s & the guest list is more consistent.
College Park, Georgia rapper Gunna releasing his 5th studio LP. Beginning over a decade ago 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. A Gift & A Curse and One of Wun were both mediocre in their own ways & The Last Wun looks to officially complete his YSL/300 deal.
“many nights” was a derivative trap intro with a chill guitar melody talking about letting his hoe count up his racks millions of times whereas the cloudy “let that sink in” produced by Turbo explains that your shit doesn’t bend or break when you’ve built everything off faith. “just say dat” talks about singles becoming outdated with the continuously adapting state of the music industry leading into the half-baked pop rap joint “gp”.
NASH of Internet Money Records’ instrumental on “sakpase” stood out to me staying connected to the checks with pounds of cake leading into “at my purest” featuring Offset saving the best of 5 collaborations for the very beginning talking about their influence being valuable. “biting my game” accompanied by an acoustic trap instrumental vents over other artists jackin’ his style when nobody post-2022 has really done so while “prototype” responds to Thug tweeting for him to stop actin’ like they’re friends online.
“w.g.f.t. (we gettin’ fucked tonight)” featuring Burna Boy finds the pair uniting for a moody pop rap song breaking down sexual themes once again as does “forever be mine” featuring Wizkid, except both of them are talking about being one of a kind compared to the ex-boyfriends of the women they’re currently seeing. “again” works on some pianos & hi-hats expressing his desire to make love again while “endless” tries to insert himself into the “GOAT” convo when his post-prison material has been mid.
Nechie links up with Gunna for “i can’t feel my face”, which makes me appreciate “ADDYS” more comparison from the beat to the performances of both artists while “podcast” gets the 2nd half of The Last Wun going by talking about getting back up on his feet again after being down bad. “club house” simultaneously likens his bank account to a goldmine & wanting to be paid in full while “Satisfaction” featuring Asake ironically doesn’t feel very satisfying musically.
“fuck witcha boy” goes for a smoother trap vibe instrumentally talking about wanting to take a helicopter so he can fly out to Punta Cana while the generically atmospheric “on me” suggests that men shouldn’t be trusted, willing to take it a step further & putting it all on himself. “rare occasion” brings some refreshing synthesizers into the fold referencing the greatest QB of all-time & 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady while “made for this shit” talks about the days when he used to pray to reach the heights he has.
Meanwhile on “c.f.w.m. (can’t fuck with me)”, we have Gunna over a country trap hybrid flexing that he’s untouchable when his last couple duds & his falling out with Young Thug both proving otherwise while “what they thinking” tries to figure out what the bitches around him want & what other guys around him are thinking. “showed ‘em” kinda gives me deja vu of “Do Better” except it’s not as profound, except the amount of money he has doesn’t change him snitching.
“won’t stop” addresses the whole Alford plea situation from his perspective promising not to stop making music while “him all along” talks about steadily chasing his goals & staying strong with all the motions he’s been going through. “Got Damn” didn’t even make the final cut, but I’m glad it wasn’t included because it wasn’t even that memorable of a trap/pop rap single.
8 months ago when Lil Baby got divisive feedback for W.H.A.M. (Who Hard as Me?), I didn’t have any hopes left of The Last Wun outdoing that or It’s Only Me since the production department of Gunna’s music has been gradually declining in the last 26 months other than Turbo. And whatever’s next for him following the YSL deal ending, it’s difficult to tell whether or not he’ll make anything of Drip Season 3 or W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic)’s bar of quality ever again.
Atlanta, Georgia rapper 9 Vicious celebrating the 4th of July with his 3rd LP. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where his uncle Young Thug signed him to YSL Records after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. A little over a month has passed since B4FN became his most beloved EP & he’s to have For Nothing familiarize himself with new fans in light of his upcoming feature on UY SCUTI.
“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” produced by 406ahmad starts by suggesting that people only hate him because they’re broke when in really because of the “Clout Demons” controversy whereas “Takin’ Swag” talks about being the father of swag likening everyone else being his children. “New Means” responds to the people wanting to go back to that Studio Addict style by saying he’s evolving prior to “Co-sign” with R8 & Patrick Garza talking about not needing anyone else’s approval.
The bar referring to Marilyn Manson at the start of an underwritten verse on “Valley” is odd timing as a fan of his Triptych because of his horrid Falling in Reverse collaboration “God’s a Weapon”, but then “Moshpit” makes up for it with a pretty solid rage track to get the pits going. “Internet Gangsta” produced by BenjiCold has possibly my least favorite hook on the album implying he’ll cheat on his girl if she pisses him off while “Face” opens up regarding his lifestyle of wealth & sex visiting 渋谷、東京、日本.
“Chaos” gets the 2nd half of For Nothing started with a 2-parter from Jwade taking “Die Young” over “Thumb in the Ass” without hesitation while “Mobb Deep” has very little to do with the influential east coast duo & more so feeling like a clown with Rick Owens shoes on in the snake-pit. “Hurt Sum” speaks of the changes in life since Tumblr Music this spring & being on the phone with Lil Uzi Vert while “Slatt Gospel” hopes that he doesn’t die young even if he’s not afraid of it.
Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group links up with 9 on my personal favorite song here “Pretty” talking about being a money getter not giving a fuck about shit while “DBZ” references the timeless ドラゴンボールZ created by the late 鳥山明 during the hook chillin’ in New York. The song “So Many Tears” goes on to diss Uzi claiming they fell off officially after Eternal Atake 2 although I can’t really argue against it because it did suck & “The End” finishes with another cut split in 2 halves: “Cardigan” & “WhiteHo”.
Mass Appeal Records had good reason to threaten legal action against YSL due to the original artwork biting The Big Picture (1974-1999) since they got a posthumous Big L offering Harlem’s Finest: Rise of the Forgotten King as part of their ongoing Legend Has It series, which is a good thing because it makes me greatly appreciate For Nothing than that initial cover art & lemme make it clear that my opinions on 9 Vicious’ output much like Autumn!’s doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with either one of them as people & mainly the quality within their music itself. Now that that’s out the way, expanding on the cloudy rage-inducing trap sound of it’s prelude EP days following the announcement of a collab on the upcoming deluxe version of Kevin Abstract’s new album blush.
Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT dropping his 2nd EP only 48 hours in preparation for 9 Vicious’ upcoming 3rd album For Nothing. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & lead to Young Thug signing him to YSL not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label & Saint Season a couple months later was a tight homage to his mentor, delivering a 4 pack coinciding the announcement of Saint having a verse on UY SCUTI.
“Charli XCX” opens the EP by giving a nod to the new Hardrock album Slimyfella even if I felt that it was more average compared to some of his previous stuff while “Life Jacket” talks about possibly drowning in the pussy & having a lot of clientele. “Pay for It” produced by 406ahmad could’ve had a longer verse although the bar at the end “Hopped in the double R & I call KanKan” was fire, but “Foreign Shit” featuring Yung Kayo & 9 Vicious finishes with the trio talking about their desire for foreign materials.
Only a couple EPs & an LP under his belt within 9 months of being under Thug’s wing 1300 shuts down those feeling like he’s fallen off by putting out mid all year by cooking up a couple dope trap songs where he’s by himself & then a couple collaborations with the very person YSL signed after him where a labelmate who’s been around since the beginning of this current decade joins them to reflect their respective eras coming together. Looking to be an interesting summer for the Young Stoner Life crew.
The newest YSL Records signee 9 Vicious coming straight outta Atlanta, Georgia preluding his upcoming 3rd album For Nothing with a new EP. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where his uncle Young Thug to YSL after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. Over a couple months later, B4FN gives a taste of what the LP’s gonna be.
“So For Nothing” was a delicate trap intro produced by 406ahmad looking back on when he was suicidal during his college days & having to read the Bible after putting his trust in God whereas “I Miss You” cloudily talks about missing his ex. “Movin’ On” works in a plugg instrumental finding himself not looking back on his previous flings while “Fuck Yo Gang” with Patrick Garza talks about these opposing “gangs” ain’t being shit. “Me N Slime” flexes that he & the whole squad stay stealing hoes until “A Song” finishes with a 2-parter asking why his partner’s love is this crazy.
Putting the “Clout Demons” controversy aside, 9 Vicious’ popularity in the trap underground has grown enough to the point where he & Opium’s newest signing ApolloRed1 are putting out a collab tape soon called YVLFN. But if For Nothing is gonna sound anything remotely like B4FN, it could really reach or surpass Studio Addict in his discography. What he delivers here is a mix of that debut & The Life of Pablo.
This is a brand new EP albeit YSL Records sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer 1300SAINT. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his debut album Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & lead to Young Thug signing him to YSL not too long after he came home last Halloween. He made his YSL debut a couple months ago with All Hail & isn’t slowing down anytime soon by now ringing in Saint Season.
“Red Robin” kicks it all off with this trap intro talking about decapitating anyone who be playing with his team whereas “In Trouble” chaotically goes at the throats of the liable over a Rafmade instrumental. “Shogun” boasts that he’s mastered his levels of swag while “Seeumsayin” talks about it not getting any bigger than this. “Blakk Trukk” flexes his status as a star stemming from Day 1 & “Southside Forever” produced by London on da Track ends by showing love to his city.
For an EP, I’m still impressed with what Saint Season was capable of delivering & reinforces 1300SAINT’s rising status in trap music almost 4 weeks after 9 Vicious made his YSL debut Tumblr Music to more mixed-to-negative reception than All Hail received. A homage to SLIME S3ASON obviously, he continues to push himself artistically by carrying over everything that made his sophomore effort from a couple months ago the most beloved entry on his catalog.
This is the sophomore effort & YSL Records debut from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer 9 Vicious. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where his uncle Young Thug to YSL after B4TM dropped. Couple months later, he’s joining 1300SAINT as 1 of the 2 newest signers for the label by putting out Tumblr Music ahead of the latter 1300’s upcoming project albeit his 2nd under the YSL banner Saint Season next month on the 25th.
The way “Why Can’t There Be Love?” by Dee Edwards gets sampled by 406ahmad on “Margiela Steppin’” talking about playing this shit like it’s a 2K game whereas “Makaveli” goes for more of an eerie trap direction instrumentally thanks to Patrick Garza further homaging 2Pac like he did with the album cover. “Clout Demons” easily sticks out as the worst track with the “I know I fucked up, I admit I was horny” line appallingly admitting that he slept with a minor prior to “SP5DER” representing his uncle’s clothing brand to the fullest.
“Twitter & Instagram” named after the social media apps owned by Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk and Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg respectively cloudily boasts with Jwade to get on some new shit daily just before “Anti You” talks about growing up without guidance. “Mad Rappers” finds him pissing off his competition leading into “Hit ‘Em Up” clearly giving more flowers to Pac.
Starting the final leg of Tumblr Music, the song “Beastmode” turns up the bass so he can break down the way he livin’ on Cleveland Avenue while “Again” promotes his set at Lyrical Lemonade’s upcoming 7th annual Summer Smash festival. The self-produced “Take Me Down” has possibly my favorite beat on the whole LP thinking about the craziness that he’s experienced in his life so far.
No denying from me that Studio Addict & B4TM both have their highlights like “The Truth” or “R.I.P Keed”, but I’d argue that Tumblr Music falls behind All Hail as a decent example of YSL bringing exciting new artists onto their roster now that Thug finally came home last Halloween. It’s the best he’s sounded production-wise & he holds it down by himself like he did 3 months ago other than some questionable lines occasionally coming up.
Legends Will Never Die 