'SO MUCH FUN' - What We Know/What We Want

According to multiple sources (including the man himself), Young Thug's newest solo-project, entitled SO MUCH FUN, is set to release this Friday, August 16th.

Here at Burbs, we couldn't be more excited.

Despite releasing a well-executed "off-genre" project in Beautiful Thugger Girls, as well as a handful of EP's and collaborative albums between 2016 and now, the rap community hasn't truly been graced with a true-to-form, full-length, solo project since 2016's Jeffery - an immaculate, vocally-complex testament to the true musical talent Thug possesses. This, partnered with a plethora of confirmed/rumored features, producers and leaks, makes for a mountain of hype.

Today, Burbs Music Writers Carter Ferryman and Howie Butler will share what they know, as well as what they want from Young Thug on SO MUCH FUN, just a couple days before its release.

WHAT WE KNOW

Carter: The album's name is highly reflective/consistent to it's overarching sound/vibe.

In an interview with No Jumper on July 14th, 2019, Thugger explained that he had recently decided to change the album's name from GØŁDMØÜFDÖG to SO MUCH FUN, in an attempt to embody the upbeat, party-heavy sonics littered throughout the album. Here's a quote from that interview, where Jeffery goes into greater detail on this decision:

"All the songs are like turn up, club, radio… fucking parade music… It ain’t no storylines to it… This shit is all about fun. If you not having fun or in a fun mood, don’t even play this album."

Assuming Thugger is being sincere, there are a couple things we can gather from this statement:

1) This is, for all intensive purposes, another mixtape - it may be labeled differently, but Thug makes it clear here that this project will not follow a storyline/present itself as a concept album. In other words, it's music for music's sake (which is all we can really ask for from Young Thug).

2) It's going to be a feel-good record through & through. As soon as I heard this, I instantly drifted back to Thugger's collaboration with Jamie xx on the universally acclaimed 2015 release, In Colour. Fittingly, the record they worked together on was titled "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" - this track is my favorite single performance from Young Thug - if his explanation of SO MUCH FUN's sonics/vibe is any indication of what's to come, my excitement till Friday is hardly contained.

Howie: J. Cole will be executively producing the album.

Jermaine Cole is always brought up in the discussion of the hottest rapper out, yet casual hip-hop fans might not even realize he produces alongside rapping.

Two weeks ago, YBN Cordae was talking to Genius about the production assistance he received from the Dreamville general.

“I feel like he’s underrated as a producer… a Cole beat is rare," said Cordae.

For the most part, this is true. Unless you are disciple of Dreamville, you may be relatively unaware of his work on the other side of the record. Most of Cole's production credits come from the discography of his own camp. He has produced almost all of the songs on his solo albums. He is also credited with production on projects from proteges; such as J.I.D, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Earthgang, and Ari Lennox.

You might be saying to yourself.. "YBN Cordae?!?! J.I.D?!?! Bas?!?! Earthgang?!?!

He must not have a very diverse sound on his work. He can't be that great of a producer!"

Cole has cooked up some heat over the last several years - like Kendrick Lamar's "Hiiipower," Wale's "Bad Girls Club," and Pusha T's "M.P.A."

More recently, J. Cole produced a track for the late and ever-so-great Mac Miller. "Hurt Feelings", the second track off of Miller's final album Swimming has the rare Cole production. Swizz Beats even made Jermaine an executive producer of Poison, Swizz's 2018 studio album.

I'm just now realizing i've said nothing about Young Thug. That's the beauty of Thugger's enigma, however - he's hip-hop's prince of unpredictability.

Simply put, he's one of the most complex (and slimy) men in music. I cannot wait to hear this album.

WHAT WE WANT

Carter: For Thug to continue pushing his boundaries vocally... and top tier features.

At Young Thug's musical peak, his ability to form and shift his voice to run parallel with a beat is unmatched.

Most recently, we saw this on his chart-topping collaboration with Travis Scott and J. Cole, "The London", where his flawless use of pitch techniques and autotune allowed him to elevate his voice far above the instrumental at hand. Think "Mamacita", "Digits", "Memo", "Maria I'm Drunk" and many others - when Thugger eats, we all eat.

Also, some A1 features would certainly bolster the album's quality. Look, I'm not saying he needs features (that would be blasphemous), but some of Thug's greatest musical moments have come in tandem with another big-name artists - see Travis Scott, Future, Drake & Kanye for example.

Each of the artists I just named are undeniable superstars, and whenever they link with Young Thug, his unrivaled ability to flow effortlessly with these artists who generally hold the spotlight tightly is a sight to see. Give me a mixture of Slime Season 3 & his features on Days Before Rodeo/Rodeo and we'll most certainly have a masterpiece.

Howie: To see Jeffrey fire on all cylinders #albummode

Thug is in album mode. This is not a drill. SO MUCH FUN is being marketed to us as an album.

Young Thug is brilliant, there is no denying that. His originality has helped solidify him as one of the most influential figures in the rap game today, especially with the new wave of auto-tuned trap-crooners we've seen break out recently.

To be fair, however, Jeffery isn't perfect.

Don't get it twisted, I love Thugger, but it's been hard for me to save more than half a project. Considering how frequently he releases, he is bound to have some lower points musically. I feel as though the time he has been taking between drops is bound to result in an overall better project. His last body of work, On the Rvn EP, gave us a consistency that I greatly appreciated. SEX gave us classic "Thugisms" on tracks like "Sin", while simultaneously honing his experimental edge to deliver a refreshing sound on songs like "Climax", as well as his "Rocket Man" revamp "High."

SO MUCH FUN sounds promising. The title alone screams Thugger. From how it has been described online, the album should fit right in Young Thug's sonic wheelhouse. As Carter described previously explained, it's all about fun. Regardless, all signs have pointed to a general lack of cohesive ideas or storylines, a decision by Thugger that has me disappointed. With that being said, I think disclosing his goal with the album was a smart move. It may bring down my standard for the album, but it certainly raises my expectations for each individual track.

I pray to all that is Slimy; that each individual track is perfectly crafted with incredible instrumentals, dynamic vocal performances, classic quotes, and stellar features.

I want to see raw, pure Thug deliver memorable track after memorable track.

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What do you want to see from SO MUCH FUN? Do you have any concerns, expectations, worries? Let us know on our Instagram or Twitter - @burbsent