65/35 | Young Thug — Jeffery
In short
There was every possibility that Jeffery, and its seemingly samurai-inspired art direction, would be more notorious for its shock value than the quality of music. Thankfully, Young Thug has pulled together a short, but solid collection of tracks that explore his vocal eccentricities and ear for beats without stepping too far outside of his comfort zone.
His delivery is as divisive as ever— sceptics won’t find any reason to suddenly join his cause, as he warbles, shrieks and roars through a myriad of instrumentals, although his ability to craft cohesive, focused songs shows a marked improvement. Noted collaborators Wheezy & TM88 make some brilliant contributions on the boards, alongside a consistent cast of producers, all of whom provide spacious, bouncy soundscapes. Wyclef Jean’s influence manifests in the form of island-inspired grooves at either end of the project, whilst tracks such as RiRi and Harambe include suitably dramatic backdrops for Thugga to express his emotional extremes.
65/35
1 | Wyclef Jean
prod. by TM88 & Supah Mario
Driven by an infectious, reggae-flavoured bass groove and matching guitar strokes, Thug opens the project with a syrupy cadence that swings between sing-songy wailing and a cocky snarl. The horn flourishes in particular are great, and work really well to punctuate the instrumental as Thug skips between flows. A shimmering synth FX breaks on the onset of every chorus, whilst Wyclef himself provides some wonderful harmonies behind Thugga’s crooning. The minimal tabla work also adds some spice to the otherwise standard trap rhythms.
6 | Guwop (ft. Quavo, Offset & Young Scooter)
prod. by Wheezy, TM88 & Cassius Jay
A contender for my favourite production on Jeffery, Guwop features a bouncy instrumental that oozes the atmospheric panache of Wheezy’s best work. A mellow synth pad glides in the background, whilst a plucky arpeggio leads into the song’s opening — the beat has a tremendous amount of knock to it, with stuttering drums and booming 808s that mirror punchy piano stabs sprinkled throughout. Thug’s flow is catchy as hell too, from the very first line, ‘I done put twenty inside the ceiling,’ all the way through his stellar opening verse, complete with addictive ‘ya dig’ ad-libs. There are also some great ear worms that float in and out, including alien-like FX and an icy chime that dances on top of the beat during the chorus. The guest verses are less impressive, but the track as a whole makes for an easy listen that you can easily smoke or throw a dab to.
7 | Harambe
prod. by Billboard Hitmakers
Probably the most fitting title on the whole project, Harambe sees Thug tapping into his most brutish performance thus far. Following a beautiful piano melody backed up by quivering strings, Thugga launches into a vicious tirade that seems to channel both a latent primal instinct and the most bitter unrequited love. It really is noteworthy — he shouts and screeches as his voice falls apart, even summoning a vocal delivery with shades of Louis Armstrong at times. Aside from the pained retorts, the production is suitably hard-hitting. The intro piano line quickly evolves into a walking melody, whilst the swelling trap bass and faint vocal textures maintain a constant angst. The breakdown also features a great bass alteration and dramatic symphonic hits that fit perfectly in the scope of the beat.
Honourable Mentions
RiRi | Riding a spirited arpeggiator and sparse drums, Thug pours his heart out to a love interest — complete with an outlandish refrain reminiscent of a seal during the chorus. Something that only he would have the gall — and ability — to pull off
Not so Honourable Mentions
Floyd Mayweather | Despite a cast of five producers and four vocalists, this cut offers little momentum, with a placid instrumental and too many redundant features
Final Thoughts
As a whole, Jeffery is one of Thug’s strongest projects, running from end-to-end with minimal missteps. The biggest issues are the selection of guest verses — many of which are lacklustre — and not enough risk-taking, although the risks that are taken go over surprisingly well.
