After a four-year hiatus, Chattanooga, Tennessee rapper YGTUT released his new project, the IOU EP, last month. His breakout debut, the church-themed Preacher’s Son, was released in January 2015, and it relied heavily on live instrumentation and lyrics that exposed the effects of being raised simultaneously in the church and through the streets of the South. IOU, on the other hand, sounds like YGTUT settling into his life as an individual, today, with velvety, contemporary beats to match.
A significant part of living life, on your terms, is ignoring what anybody else has to say about how you’re living said life. IOU’s second single, “Mind Ya Business,” speaks precisely to that approach. The chorus is simple and direct: “Niggas talking shit, we don’t hear ‘em, we don’t listen/Run they mouth like hoes, niggas gossip more than bitches.” Casual sexism aside, the hook is the thesis statement of the song. Beyond that, subtle hat-tips to Tennessee legend Project Pat are sprinkled throughout “Mind Ya Business,” through the repetitive “alright” sample taken from Pat’s age-defying 2001 track, “Chickenhead.”
The visuals feature a stranded YGTUT, stuck in a parking lot after some car trouble. But it’s not a situation like anything you might have ever seen or personally experienced. Instead, it’s a surreal trip that serves as an idea of where the mind—anyone's mind—can wander when shit goes left. Per YGTUT, that was the ultimate goal.
“When we make videos, I like to create an intentional vibe for fans,” YGTUT said. “I want them to interpret meaning and purpose on their own. Basically, ‘Mind Ya Business’ is like a lucid day dream, or reality in a dream state.”
Check out the video up top and stream IOU below.
