![]() ![]() But humor quickly turns to cringe, as Thug’s verse is mixed poorly and ends up mimicking Drake to a tee.īut lapses are few and rare, as one would expect from an artist with a combined 29 albums, mixtapes, and EPs. “Parade on Cleveland” sounds out of place, opening the album with what should have been a throwaway R&B verse from Drake’s “AM/PM” series, followed by phone ringing - but it’s not one of Drake’s exes, rather the same automated voice that began Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn’s jail tape, “Thank You For Using GTL.” Just as Drakeo began his album with laughs and jokes, Young Thug does the same. He’s rapping like his life depends on it. Despite its “Godfather”-ish title, the album reflects the divides within the YSL camp: BSlime, Lil Gotit and Yak Gotti are the only featured crew members, Gunna is nowhere to be seen, and Wheezy has three production credits on the album but none on a “Gift & a Curse.” Consequently, it’s missing the camaraderie that has been a hallmark of Thug’s career, from “Best Friend” to the YSL collaborative album, “Slime Language 2” - although it does feature guest verses from Travis Scott, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert and more. Still, “Business Is Business” is Young Thug’s strongest project since “So Much Fun.” Thugger has regained control of his voice, in all of its oscillating, squealing glory. ![]() Thug’s response: a surprise album, as he awaits jury selection, that doubles as a kind of opening statement, not for the “peers” to be selected by the court, but for the friends, fans and family rooting for him.Īrriving just a week after “a Gift & a Curse,” the new album from labelmate and former associate Gunna - who was also indicted but pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering and has since been freed - “Business Is Business” is Thug’s first solo release since 2021’s “Punk,” and since his incarceration. Thugger is one of the top rappers in the game, and yet he’s been sidelined by allegations from Georgia’s Fulton County that his Young Stoner Life label is actually a criminal gang. ![]() While chart placing has been taken into consideration, the biggest thing here for the albums chosen is: do they still stand the test of time? For the 50 chosen above, the answer is a resounding YES.Young Thug - who has been awaiting trial in an Atlanta jail for over a year - may not belong in an orange jumpsuit, but he’ll probably reinvent the attire at some fashion show when he gets out. Where possible, the albums have been listened to on vinyl but any gaps in the collection were listened to on Spotify. While he grew up with '90s hip-hop - and still has a collection of HHC mags to prove it - he is still an avid listener of hip-hop and has used his 30-odd years listening experience as a fan, and his decades experience as an entertainment journalist, to compile this best-of. His first album he ever bought was Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle, before making the switch from West Coast to East Coast rap, devouring all of the Wu-tang Clan's early records - and the solo stuff - and then heading back to the '80s with the likes of Beastie Boys and Public Enemy on his turntable. Marc Chacksfield, the author of this best hip-hop albums shortlist, has been an hip-hop fan since the early '90s.
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