After a summer of anticipation, Atlanta rapper Jeffery Lamar Williams, better known by his stage name Young Thug, released his 13th project, which is his first studio album — his other releases are mixtapes. The project, titled “So Much Fun,” comes almost exactly a year after the release of the compilation album, “Slime Language” and almost a year after his most recent true solo project, “Beautiful Thugger Girls.”
While fans have been kept on the edge of their seats waiting for a new project, Thug has provided some meaningful reasons for the delay. The most notable of these is that the rapper has been spending time with his brother, who has a hearing impairment. With one of his most recent songs “Anybody,” from a smaller release before the new album, Thug highlights his connections to the deaf community by using sign language to communicate the song’s lyrics in its music video.
Right out of the gate, “Just How It Is” gives “So Much Fun” a classic Young Thug feel. The smooth lyrics and innovative ad libs are reminiscent of his earlier “Slime Season” series of mixtapes, which received critical acclaim. What really sets Young Thug apart from current rap artists is his skillful use of melodic undertones. Throughout “Just How It Is,” the acoustic beat flows in parallel with his lyrics.
Scattered across the album is a wide range of successful features from Atlanta rappers as well as popular mainstream artists. Both “Ecstacy” and “Cartier Gucci Scarf” utilize well known artists to create unique songs only achievable on a Young Thug project. “Bad Bad Bad” is another great example of an incredibly up-beat song able to move the crowd onto the dance floor. Lil Baby shines here, with his style fitting well with Thug’s. It will not be long before these tracks start topping the charts. Constant bangers like these across the track list shows just how much fun this album really is.
The most popular song from the album to date is the up-tempo, “Hot.” This instant classics showcases quintessential Thugger flow. Horns sounding off in the background along with a smart feature from Gunna produces an incredibly addictive listen. Gunna also makes another appearance further down the album on “Surf.” Although not as aggressively hype as “Hot,” the track plays more towards Young Thug’s creative side letting both Gunna and Thug experiment over the beat.
With 19 tracks, this robust composition provides a wide range of Young Thug-style songs while at the same time giving him room to grow. Songs like “I Bought Her” are a little stranger than the usual main-stream rap hits that top the charts such as “The London.”
As Thug’s first official album, “So Much Fun” provides a unique opportunity to reflect on his place in the rap game. Young Thug’s ability to generate something completely new and unheard of is unrivaled in today’s rap scene. There are scores of artists trying to mimic Young Thug’s unique style to get into his distinct genre of rap, but as this album reaffirms, there will only ever be one Thugger. Others can copy his work, but by the time they catch up, Thugger will be onto something even more exciting.