Atlanta rapper Young Nudy has made a name for himself through raw street lyricism with a flow that comes off as effortless. Slimeball 3 finds him taking that approach to another level. While his last project, Nudy Land, included guest spots from Offset and Lil Yachty, the PDE representative takes the no features route here. Production throughout the 14-song project comes from Maaly Raw, Metro Boomin, as well as longtime collaborator Pi'erre Bourne, who Nudy has teased a full-length project with, appropriately titled Slimierre.
The timing for its release couldn't line up any better, either; Aug. 8 is the same day the first installment dropped back in 2016, and is also the same date his daughter was born. "She part of the reason I changed from a lot of shit I used to do," Nudy tells Complex.
We spoke with Young Nudy to get the lowdown on the project and what he's got in store next. Check out our Q&A and the stream for Slimeball 3 below. It's also available on Apple Music/iTunes.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
The Slimeball mixtape series has played a major part in your career. How did you approach this one? Did you do it a little different than the previous ones?
All of it ain’t nothing but slime shit, bunch of Slimeball shit, you know? It’s like the first one and the second one, just a whole bunch of street shit going on. But this one right here though, I got like a dab of Nudy Land in it.
You’ve had this growth each project, from Slimeball 2, to Nudy Land—
Yeah, you gotta work on your craft, gotta build yourself. Yeah, all that type of shit.
Were there any kind of life experiences that influenced the music that you’re making now?
The music I’m making now, the Slimeball shit, it’s really for the fans. I know they wanna hear a whole bunch of bullshit, fuck around shit, you see what I’m saying? Whole bunch of geeked up drug, pow pow pow shit, choppas, feel me? Street shit, young nigga shit. They be wanting that, so I make that shit for the fans. When I make Nudy Land type shit, that’s for me, but when I make Slimeball type shit, that’s for the fan. Some of it’s for me too man, don’t get me wrong, but that shit for them fans though, and I gotta do it for ‘em.
I feel like you have a good grasp of what your fans want to hear from you, and you’re able to deliver on that from project to project.
That's what I be telling, they can’t sleep on me, man. ‘Cause I told a motherfucker I could switch that shit up, that's why I did Nudy Land shit, that's why I ain't come with Slimeball 3 on top, ya feel me? I’mma come with something different, I’mma fuck these folks up, put they jet on low, think of all type of shit.
Did you work with Pi'erre Bourne on this project?
Yeah. But shit, I don’t even got a lot of Pi'erre on there, I just got one with my boy on there. Me and Pi'erre got some more shit going on after this Slimeball 3 shit. Just straight Pi'erre.
Yeah, you guys were discussing a collaborative project between the two of you. That’s something that’s still on the horizon?
Yeah, once I get done with this Slimeball 3 shit and go on the road—probably gonna go on a little tour. By the end of that shit, probably come out next year, probably close to the end of this year.
We don’t be getting to seeing each other like that, ya feel me? He’ll be busy, I’ll be busy. Just gotta be able to sit down and do that shit.
You guys have this type of chemistry when you come together like that, so it's inevitable.
We just gonna be around each other and make that shit, ya feel? I really wanna go lock in one of the old studios we used to record in, like the studio where I made Slimeball 1 type shit and Slimeball 2.
Get that feeling back of what it was like coming up and grinding.
Hell yeah, some shit like that, I just love shit like that. That’d be fun. And I’d lock in on that bitch because I don’t give a fuck ‘bout where I’m at. Well now I do, but on some shit like that where I know originally where I came from. I always go back where I remember.
What happens after Slimeball 3? Is it going to be Slimeball 4 or are you going to switch it up again?
Hell nah. I don’t know, goddamn. I might… what them things called? Them “EPs” shit. I might sneak an EP in or something at the end of this year. Just a lil’ six or seven songs. I don’t know. It depends on how I’m feeling. I know how my fans be. They be wanting me to keep that music coming, ya feel me? I just don’t like dropping a lot of shit back-to-back, I don’t know why. But I got a million fuckin’ songs.
