Normal responses to my constant beseeching to listen to Young Thug’s new Brick Squad-affiliated mixtape include: “the auto-tune sounds like he’s euthanizing sick farm animals”; “he isn’t even singing on key”; “he mumbles half his lines and the ones that aren’t mumbles are horrid shrieking yelps” and “the weird half-singing half-rapping cadence sounds like listening to a drunk talk about tricked-out gold watches.” All of this is true, but it’s also what makes him so exciting. But what do I know? Have fun listening to looped soul samples and positivity raps in your old age home, grandpa.
This article appears in Mar 7-13, 2013.