Innumerable articles have already been devoted to the
polarizing enigma of today’s most fascinating rapper - Young Thug. But the
majority of these tend to focus on superfluous aspects of his career such as
his sexuality, his beefs, or his fashion sense. Not enough effort has been
dedicated towards defending the incredible artistry apparent throughout his work
and especially his output in 2015, his most prolific year to date.
Young Thug is singular in the rap game; there are no easy
comparisons to be drawn. He’s a baffling amalgamation of so many opposing styles
and influences that it’s impossible to pinpoint what it is that makes him so special.
However, his popular appeal among children and foreigners speaks volumes about
his non-lyrical strengths – namely an uncanny ear for melody matched with an unparalleled
ability to adapt to any instrumental thrown at him.
We’ve already witnessed his effortless dexterity over
traditional trap (Halftime, Danny Glover), minimalist trap (Givenchy), ethereal cloud rap
(Raw), and even UK bass (Good Times), which leads one to believe that Young
Thug could take the most obscure thrash metal riff or saxophone solo and turn
it into something with massive pop appeal. His delivery is so uniquely flexible that he
can easily fit it to any type of music – this has never been witnessed before
in hip hop. As a result, many fail to understand his inherent genius and take
the shortcut of denouncing him for not being an enunciated or world-class lyricist.
But what these dissenters fail to realize is that Young
Thug is not concerned with lyricism – the semantics of his raps are clearly in
the periphery. Unlike any rapper before him, he places phonetics directly in
the spotlight so that it’s about what sounds
good, not about the meaning of those sounds. He uses his voice as an
instrument, bending it with ridiculous inflections and effects, constantly switching
between complicated but infectious flows, and then supplementing it all with
hilarious ad-libs.
Rather than focusing on his frequently inaudible and occasionally nonsensical lyrics,
listeners should appreciate his music as the complete picture that it is, where
his voice simply adds to the depth of the instrumental by weaving in and out of
its pockets and revealing melodies that no one else could have imagined. The
fact that he does all this improvisationally – that is, by essentially
freestyling each bar then refining it until he gets the perfect inflection and placement of each syllable – only confirms his massive arsenal of innate
talent.
Even though lyricism can often take a backseat in other
genres, hip hop listeners typically have a difficult time overlooking it. But
one can point to other artists that use their vocals purely as an instrument –
from the beautiful gibberish of Sigur Rós to that of Cocteau Twins – and even to
entire genres that do so such as opera, doo wop, vocal jazz, and many forms of metal, in order to
realize that what Young Thug is doing is not entirely new. It’s only new to hip
hop. Young Thug challenges listeners in a way no prior rapper has - his music
encourages us to view vocals as a means to an end, not an end in itself that
necessitates a deeper meaning.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in lyricism and
dismiss those who aren’t as eloquent as, say MF DOOM or Pharoahe Monch, but
this ignorance is based on the mistaken assumption that vocals equal lyrics,
that without lofty lyricism vocals serve no purpose. But to equate the two is merely
to look at one aspect of vocals in hip hop, ignoring the numerous others that carry just
as much weight, such as voice, delivery, flow, versatility, catchiness - all
facets which Young Thug has managed to perfect in his very short career.
Young Thug, an ATLien if there ever was one, will remain
dividing listeners and pushing the boundaries of rap outwards as he continues his relentless string of evolving releases. But even
if one isn’t able to fully appreciate his music, they should at least respect his unique
and well-deserved place in today’s rap game as a trailblazer, a risk taker, and
a master of his art.
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For those of you not yet fully acquainted with Thugger,
here are some of my favorite tracks that I believe best showcase his ability. If you want a full project I would strongly recommend Slime Season.
Good Times
Danny Glover
Halftime
Givenchy
Raw (Might Just)
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