Young Thug - I'm Up

Young Thug
I'm Up
2016
Spotify

At a time when rappers seem more concerned with crafting a legacy of records in some kind of epic, Young Thug bucks the trend and releases music when He sees fit. I'm Up is the newest mixtape and unlike his last album Barter 6 this one seems to be more of the very moment we are in now. It is a battle between chaos and control with Thug jumping between the two as He changes the albums name and it's direction either moments before or after it's release. The record however in no way feels rushed despite all this, like much of Thug's music it is composed and controlled despite his wild style. "F Cancer" the opening track featuring Quavo has little to do with cancer and seems to be more of a personal statement. Young Thug has always had this ability to transcend the style of music He is making, and on this He takes trap and molds it around him rather than allowing it to consume the vibe of his music. His words become tantamount to the story not the music that is underneath them. It is an interesting take especially in a genre where in all honesty you don't need to actually say much to be considered a genius.

What is really great about Young Thug however is his ability to comment and then leave it alone. He doesn't dwell even on individual tracks. Once he gets his message out it is time to move on and not pretend like something is more than it is. For a rap album I'm Up is shockingly short at just over 37 minutes. However Young Thug gets the most out of that time not allowing a second to go wasted. "Bread Winners" is so chalked full of goodness that it almost makes your head spin. If the theory that Young Thug may in fact be from outer space is indeed true than this record only goes on to affirm this. His music is an example of the artist taking the shape of a rapper for awhile. Though He may hand over quite a bit of the time on this record to his features it still has enough Young Thug to tide us over until the next surprise release drops on us. Long Live Young Thug.

8.1 out of 10