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2. "Drippin'"
Album: Slime Season 3
Thug better expresses emotion through sounds than words, and “Drippin’” is no exception. Halfway through the glitchy, shifting track, the rapper’s rhymes take a turn for hoarse, breathy screams, in which he purports all the ways he’s “drippin’.” Bless whatever brave soul deciphered this section for Rap Genius.
But screamo verses aside, the track actually represents a more thought-out, clever rhyming scheme for the rapper—“I wrote my verse with 3 bars like an Adidas Stan Smith,” runs the hook. Thug’s characteristic garble doesn’t disappear completely: later, his stuttering devolves unto itself until “drippin’” turns to “ribbit,” and with that, the three-minute boast is complete.
3. Lil Yachty ft. Young Thug, Migos, & Skippa Da Flippa - "Minnesota (Remix)"
Album: Lil Yachty - Lil Boat
Lil Yachty's Lil Boat mixtape was one of the year's pleasantly surprising hits. With every watery verse, it became increasingly clear that Yachty knows exactly what he's doing, and he knows who can help him do it. For the "Minnesota" remix, he enlisted Young Thug, Migos, and Skippa da Flippa.
Thug absolutely snaps on his verse, turning what sounds like a children's nursery rhyme into a lesson in cooking crack: "I'm cooking bean on jelly beans / No need to smell it, all is clean." Later, he ditches the slower singing for a double time flow, and ends up head and shoulders above his trackmates as a result.
4. "Gangster Shit"
Album: N/A
"Did you pray today?" With four little words, Thug sets the tone for this bouncy, brooding loosie right from the jump. "Gangster Shit" was premiered on Ebro Darden's Beats 1 show after a month of silence from Thugger—which is an unthinkably long time for the young rapper. It's one of his more aggressive releases in recent memory, thanks in no small part to Wheezy's sparse, atmospheric beat and the wailing verses.
Thug jumps right into a head-bobbing flow that makes the Chucky doll artwork seem eerily appropriate. His voice is the central instrument here, and he touches on everything from dentistry to his similarities with Robert Horry (they both have seven rings).
5. "Hercules"
Album: I'm Up
Like many rap releases these days, the Metro Boomin-produced “Hercules” came with a juicy side of Twitter beef. Days before the track dropped, Metro Boomin—Thug’s longtime collaborator and fellow Atlantan—put out a scathing tweet that Young Thug thought was aimed at him.
The feud was resolved just before the track dropped, and though skeptics might disagree, Metro claimed that there “ain’t no publicity stunts” here. But that brief misunderstanding aside, “Hercules” is an infectious banger, triumphant and full of quotables. The song also features the duo’s simplest, yet-somehow catchiest, hook yet: “Herca-Hercules!”
6. Bankroll Mafia ft. Young Thug, T.I., MPA Duke, Shad Da God & Lil Yachty - "Hyenas"
Album: Bankroll Mafia - Bankroll Mafia
Thug laughs “like a hyena” at his haters in this undeniably catchy track, off the star-studded compilation release from Bankroll Mafia. Though the song features a slew of talents (Lil Duke, Lil Yachty, Shad da God, and T.I.), Thug is the clear star. His exultant comeback hook is unavoidably enjoyable in a way that would make even the harshest Thug critics smile.
Okay, Thug’s lyrics are a bit unintelligible, his sound somewhat extraterrestrial, but hey, he’s got stripes like a zebra! He’s laughing like a hyena! It’s funny, clever, and catchy as hell. The hook even features a line in Spanish (as if Thug’s verses were ever really in English, the aforementioned haters might jab, but no matter).
7. "With Them"
Album: Slime Season 3
Young Thug got the official Yeezus blessing on “With Them,” the Slime Season 3 lead track that Kanye previewed at his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show and The Life of Pablo listening party. The standout track is the closest Thug gets to a radio banger, and comes with a fresh crop of ego boosters.
He stacks his cash like “Legos.” He has all black diamonds like he’s “racist now.” He’s wearing Balmain with a “motherfuckin’ Gucci coat.” And hey, he’s not wrong. The Mike WiLL Made It-produced track is Thug at his best: savagely overconfident, retaliatory, and bizarre as ever.
8. "Digits"
Album: Slime Season 3
On “Digits,” one of the highlights of Young Thug’s Slime Season 3 mixtape, the Atlanta rapper does what he does best, spitting rapid-fire lyrics at tongue-twister speed (for the record, that catchy hook is “hustlers don’t stop, they keep goin’”). The London On Da Track-produced song’s woozy beat and slurred, incomprehensible rhymes won’t convert Thug haters, but it’s a sure hit for fans.
The track was a long time coming—London On Da Track has said it was actually recorded two years before release, and when the song finally dropped, the wrong version made it onto the mixtape. A week later, the final version hit the web, featuring a few bars from Meek Mill.
9. Chance The Rapper ft. Young Thug & Lil Yachty - "Mixtape"
Album: Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
“Mixtape,” a collab with Chance The Rapper off Coloring Book, is the Young Thug track for the Young Thug hater. Right off the bat, Young Thug’s rhymes here are uncharacteristically understandable. But in terms of thematic content, the track is also one of Thugger’s more serious and personal.
The song bemoans the music industry for overlooking mixtapes, a form of distribution that Chance and Young Thug (and Lil Yachty, who also raps on the track) can credit for much of his fanbase. Admittedly, Thug’s verse doesn’t hit the theme as hard as it could—he spends more time bragging about “that booty” and making his usual references to Actavis—but the song is a notable step in a different direction for the artist.
10. "For My People" ft. Lil Duke
Album: I'm Up
Have you been in the middle of a sweaty crowd as hundreds of people scream "My pocket, it look like a book with a worm in it!" in unison? If not, you're missing out on one of life's great experiences. Thug delivers a stack of great lines and pledges that he's down to ride for his crew, a message that is further highlighted in the video.
Although Young Thug is, as ever, the star of the show, Wheezy's incredible production is a big part of what makes this song so unique. It twinkles and gurgles along, providing a colorful, quirky backdrop for Thug's own melodic delivery and variety of flows.
11. Young Thug & Travis Scott ft. Quavo - "Pick Up The Phone"
Album: N/A
Can you say song of the summer? Quavo and Travi$ Scott join Thugger on this absolute monster of a track, and they tear the Vinylz & Frank Dukes-produced carousel beat to shreds. "Pick Up The Phone" had the bad luck of premiering the same day as Kanye West's "Champions" and Drake & DJ Khaled's "For Free," but it stands head and shoulders above those other two massive tracks.
Thugger's bridge is especially addictive. His penance and promises—"never will I cheat on you, never will I commit treason"—will be bouncing of your brain's walls for some time to come. If this is any indication of what Travi$ and Thug's collaborative album will sound like, we're here for it.
