I never know what to expect when I hit play on a new Thugger album. He’s all over the place sonically, bouncing back and forth between sounds in a way that few artists are willing to do. Music does not often reward experimentation, as what is familiar is what is safe. But Young Thug is so far from being safe that he can play around more with his sound.

Yet even with that, the country infused, hip-hop/pop beats come out of left field. Not even thirty seconds into the first track, he lets out a raucous “Yeehaw”, a cry that echoes the more playful tone of his music. He’s “tryna put his dick inside of yo panties”, ask for his “baby girl come suck me and fuck me”. But at the same time, manages to deliver a strangely personal record.

Reflective more of Jeffrey than the more rambling and disjointed Slime Season mixtapes, each song is self-contained and tried to say something to us. We saw the same in Jeffrey with tracks being titled/dedicated to specific people that had influenced Thugger, and here he takes that same principle and adds another personal and emotional layer to it.

It doesn’t stop him from screaming “you said you gon fuck me to death when you seen me, you said that you said that”, but it gives it some more meaning when it does. It sounds really weird, but even with all of this, the songs feel… personal. Like he cares about the person he is “yelling” at. It’s absurdly sexual, but in the world of Young Thug, that’s just how he shows that he cares.

We see it amplified in the track “Daddy’s Birthday”. He laments his presence in his kid’s lives, but at the same time, the pull of money and fame continuously tug him away. He wants what is good for his daughter, but he has to overcome his own greed first, and he recognizes that. This is followed by the track “Do U Love Me”, where Thug again talks about his sexual relationship, but it seems to be more aimed at an individual than women in general. Even if the person is never named, he still croons,

“L-O-V-E, do you love me?
In the tubby, poppin' bubbly
Smokin' musty, I love me
Love, lo-lo-love, love, love, love me
Fall deep in love, love, love with me
Baby girl come suck me and fuck me”

For him, sex and love go hand in hand in a way that it doesn’t for most public artists. For many singers (rappers especially), there is a distinct separation between sex and “fucking”, where dirty or kinky sex is done with disposable strangers and lovemaking was special and serious.

But Young Thug doesn’t care about those societal standards. He trusts this woman and wants her to trust him. “She can read a nigga’s texts when she wants to,” because she is the only one for him. He loves her, but he still wants to “bust in her hair, milky way.” He can be kinky and dirty and wild, but it doesn’t change the fact that he loves her.

This almost absurdist tenderness is a growing theme in Thugger’s work. It’s a cornerstone for this album, which is an almost love letter to those around him. It continues with his deconstruction of rap, of gender, of love, and of sex, but manages to sound damn good at the same time. It isn’t a perfect album, but by god it is ambitious, and I can’t stop enjoying it.

4/5

Tracklist:
1. Family Don’t Matter (Feat. Millie Go Lightly)
2. Tomorrow Til Infinity
3. She Wanna Party (Feat. Millie Go Lightly)
4. Daddy’s Birthday
5. Do U Love Me (Feat. Future)
7. You Said
8. On Fire
9. Get High (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Lil Durk)
10. Feel It
11. Me or Us
12. Oh Yeah
13. For Y’all (Feat. Jacquees)
14. Take Care

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Tags: Young Thug, Trap