One of Atlanta’s hottest rappers, Young Thug, just released his latest mixtape, “I’m Up.” Released instead of the awaited “Slime Season 3,” the nine-song mixtape has a wide variety of sounds, and producers include big names like Metro Boomin and Mike WiLL Made-It.
Young Thug is a wordplay aficionado, and “I’m Up” only emphasizes that. Known for his eccentric and outside-the-box lyrics, Young Thug falls into the stereotypical “rap trap” of money, women and drugs. What makes Young Thug unique, though, is his ability to use the rap trap to make subtle, but also serious references.
“I’m Up” kicks off with the upbeat, pre-released single “F Cancer (Boosie).” Young Thug teams up with rapper Quavo in “F Cancer.” The contrast between Young Thug and Quavo’s rap styles creates an interesting dynamic dedicated to Thug’s friend, Boosie Badazz, who recently had to remove a cancerous tumor. “F Cancer” also pays homage to two of Migos’ affiliates in the line, “RIP Pistol, RIP Mike, I pour up the lean for y’all.”
The second song on the album, “My Boys,” features rappers Trouble, Ralo and Lil Durk. A hypnotically smooth track, “My Boys” phonetically creates the environment the song describes. “My Boys” is the song everyone will nod their heads to while hanging out with their “boys” or friends.
“For My People” brings the listeners back from their relaxed states after “My Boys” to party mode. Young Thug teams up with rapper Duke to create this bouncy, electronic and upbeat track. “For My People” expresses both Young Thug and Duke’s love for their people, whether that is their entourage, their friends or their families. Young Thug subtly references the importance of community in “For My People.”
The fourth song, “King TROUP,” is as serious as the album gets.
Thug dedicates this song to his friend and “OG” Keith Troup, who was fatally shot last year. The song itself is smooth with a sick beat. Although the song is dedicated to Troup, Young Thug makes references to others he respects. In the lines, “Lil Roscoe, he sleep where it’s nasty / They could’ve freed him ‘cause he grew up with no daddy,” Young Thug speaks about the arrest and trial of his friend Lil Roscoe. Young Thug also mentions Gucci Mane’s incarceration when he says, “Free the Goat.”
In “Ridin,” Young Thug links up once again with Lil Durk. “Ridin” is definitely another upbeat addition to “I’m Up.” He has previously worked with Lil Durk, so the two definitely held their momentum in this additional collaboration.
“Hercules” has a completely different sound than the other songs in this album thanks to its being produced by the increasingly popular Metro Boomin. Prior to the release of “I’m Up,” Young Thug and Metro Boomin engaged in a Twitter feud, but luckily, their beef remained on their timelines and not in their music.
“Special” seems to be Young Thug’s personal anthem in this album. He expresses how special he is through the measure of his success, which is at times somewhat egotistical, but there is truth behind his lyrics.
Young Thug collaborates with Young Butta in “Bread Winners.” The song’s sound is more intense than the other tracks. Fast-paced with bars being dropped left and right, Young Thug diverges away from pop-rap to hardcore rap.
The last song in “I’m Up,” called “Family,” features Young Thug’s sisters, Dolly and Dora. Young Thug uses “Family” to illustrate the importance of family by including his actual family in the song.
Although every song in “I’m Up” is impressive, the flow of the album itself is off. Thug takes his listeners on a rollercoaster ride from fast to slow. Thug’s order in “I’m Up” could be because an abrupt shift from fast to slow is disruptive to the listeners, or because starting off slow doesn’t match with his overall style. More than anything, though, “I’m Up” impressively keeps to his eccentric and original sound.
