Rap has been a little stagnant for the past month. It’s understandable: with all of the amazing projects that have dropped in 2017, things are slowing down as the year comes to an end. As we head to the fourth quarter, though, the game needed a spark. Some excitement. Some shit that makes you hit the group chat and plead how you need to hear these songs while standing on a couch at the club.
Enter Future and Young Thug descending from the heavens like trap disciples to release their joint mixtape, Super Slimey. Off name value alone, this is a project that you stay up and listen to on the night it drops. Two of the biggest artists in the game came together unexpectedly to fill the void.
There are plenty of standouts throughout the project, notably the songs that Future takes the lead on. “No Cap” will make you want to run through a wall. Future effortlessly rapped that his girl can’t sleep at his house, but must stay at a hotel. He later spit that he already has an iPhone 8 and it’s filled with 200 hoes. That is Steph Curry unconscious from deep level stuff.
While Thug certainly holds his own throughout, Super Slimey feels like a Future-first project. And that’s fine, Future seems to be back on his shit. It would be hard for any rapper to keep up with him, if we’re being honest. He did the same to Drake on What a Time to Be Alive. Future hits another level when paired with other A-list rappers. It’s like he loves the challenge and that’s what makes this project in particular so much fun.
Interestingly enough, Future’s biggest competition for best verse on the tape comes from the project’s only feature, Offset, on possibly the project’s hardest song, “Patek Water.” Seriously, try playing the song only once. You can’t do it.
Without Offset, Future and Thug show out, but when the third Migo comes onto the track for the last verse, shit gets very real. It’s a clear standout, and might be the best verse on all of Super Slimey; he hits his pocket immediately, and the flow switch mid-verse was insane. It’s the kind of verse that makes everyone request an Offset feature, unless they’re worried about getting murdered on their own track. “Hold it down the plug is illegal, riding around with a dub and an eagle” might elicit tears of joy.
Offset should—and likely will—become one of the hottest commodities in rap as a solo act going forward. It happened for his Migos compatriot Quavo already, and now it’s very clearly his time. Without drawing too much attention to it, he’s had a dominant 2017. His verse on Gucci Mane’s “Met Gala” should probably be carved into stone and displayed in the Smithsonian. He washed Drake on “No Complaints.” His “Lick” collab with his boo Cardi B is peak relationship goals. And now, he's the clear standout on a track with reigning fellow Atlantans Future and Thugger.
Yes, Quavo might have more versatility than his Migos counterpart, but as far as rapping goes, Offset is making the case that he’s in a class all by himself. He consistently puts numbers on the board, even when matched with A-List rappers. It’s almost a shame that he doesn’t have a solo project out yet, but it’s understandable.
Migos are about to get into Culture 2 mode and their group dynamic has proved to be rock solid over the years. But with his stock at an all-time high right now, and Quavo about to drop his collab project with Travis Scott, there has never been a more perfect time for Offset to spread his wings and try something on his own. Hell, solo Offset might be Russell Westbrook without Kevin Durant levels of greatness—MVP shit.
He’s shown nothing but unmatched potential throughout 2017 and only seems to be getting better with every verse. Migos are collective greatness as a group—no one’s going to dispute that after the last 365 days—but these verses are making everyone wonder how great Offset can be on his own.
