If you are a big fan of Hip Hop music or just know about what is going on in pop culture, then you probably know about Young Thug’s situation. Last year, he and a bunch of members of his YSL record label were accused of being a criminal organization and were hit with various damning charges. Young Thug ended up getting slammed in the worst way by far and is facing up to 25 years in prison if he is charged with all of his crimes. Gunna, his former protégé, was also charged, but he ended up taking Alford Plea at the end of last year to get out of prison. Young Thug himself was not offered a plea like this, leading most people to believe that Gunna gave up information on his former mentor to get out of prison himself. He has firmly denied these accusations, claiming he did not say anything about Young Thug to anyone. About a week ago, seemingly out of nowhere, Gunna decided to release a full-length album with no features and with production from non of the major producers known for working with YSL. On this record, he claimed over and over again that he did not sell out and talk about Young Thug or any other YSL member to the police, but a lot of people just do not believe him. Much to the surprise of the music world, Young Thug announce his own new album was coming out(from prison) about a day after Gunna dropped his new record. Most music fans saw this as a slight towards Gunna, and it is easy to see why. Business is Business does not have any features from Gunna(which is surprising considering it has so many features), and it does feature production from Wheezy, a producer known for working with YSL who has been outspoken against Gunna since he got out of prison. As a fan of both of these artists, I do not want to believe that Young Thug decided to release this album in spite of Gunna, but it is hard to look past all of the evidence suggesting this.

As far as the quality of Business is Business, it does not live up to the standard of some of Young Thug’s best work in my opinion. Young Thug has dropped some of the most innovative and exciting Trap records ever over the last several years, and this album is not on that level. I have seen a few publications online(including Rolling Stone) say that this feels like a hodgepodge posthumous album(or an album of random unfinished songs mixed, mastered, and released record label after an artist has died); honestly, I can see why that assessment is being made. Business is Business sounds like a bunch of unused songs from Young Thug’s vault that Metro Boomin picked and finished mastering. Some of the music on this album sounds several years old, and that is because it literally is. There is no cohesion to Business is Business, and the quality heavily fluctuates from track to track. Some of the songs on this album are very good, but a few of them definitely should have just stayed in the vault. Business is Business is not close to being among Young Thug’s best releases, but it still has a lot of fun music on it that I know I will be coming back to. Below is a list of my favorite songs from Young Thug’s Business is Business. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record as well as how you feel about it as a whole.

MAD DOG

‘Mad Dog’ is the kind of fun and carefree Pop-Trap banger that got Young Thug so popular in the first place back in the day. This track is very reminiscent of the music that he helped make popular in the early 2010s; as a listener, it brings me back to the era that made me become such a big fan of his to begin with. I would not be surprised to hear that this song was made back in 2014 because it sounds like it came from that era. To be honest, I wish that song had come out back then because it is a banger that would have fit in so perfectly at that time. In 2023, it does sound a bit outdated, but it still has a nostalgic quality I enjoy. This song has a sweet yet melancholy melody that is put over a fast Pop-Trap beat. It has a club-banger feeling to it because it is entertaining and makes me want to dance. Young Thug raps with his signature super high-pitched tone that he has become known for. His high-pitched tone on ‘Mad Dog’ gives the song a level of excitement that it benefits from. ‘Mad Dog’ is a song for the fans of the music that Young Thug came up on in the early 2010s.

UNCLE M

‘Uncle M’ is a song that has emerged as a fan favorite from this record. Even though it is not in my personal pop three, it is easy to see why so many people are loving this track so much. Even though ‘Uncle M’ is one of the shortest songs on the record, it sure packs a punch. This song is very bold from the jump; everything about the song is dark and intimidating. This track is driven by an ominous and threatening melody that is put over a vehement beat with distorted 808s that fit the severity of the melody. Young Thug raps with a raspy, grating tone that is perfect for this instrumental. At times, he fluctuates his tone heavily in a way that gives the song texture and weirdly adds to the intensity of the track. ‘Unce M’ is a savage Trap banger that shows Young Thug can still push boundaries and make captivating Trap music that is unlike anything being made by anyone else.

CARS BRING ME OUT FEAT. FUTURE

Young Thug and Future have proven many times in the past that when they come together to make music, they make magic. I am happy to say that this sentiment remains true with the song ‘Cars Bring Me Out.’ This has quickly become one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I imagine that this is the same for most other listeners. This Pop-Trap banger produced by Wheezy is just as fun and magical as one would expect it to be. The melody of the track is provided by a Bossa Nova-style guitar melody and the beat has a fast pace that is so catchy and makes me want to dance. Young Thug uses a raspy and more grating tone than he usually uses on this track; this vocal delivery contrasts Future’s even-keeled and soft vocals well, and it adds even more texture to this already complex-sounding track. ‘Cars Bring Me Out’ is the kind of pleasant and exciting Pop-Trap anthem one would expect from this duo, and it is a song I am sure I will be hearing frequently in clubs and bars for months and years to come.

OH U WENT FEAT. DRAKE

Similar to ‘Cars Bring Me Out,’ most Hip Hop fans would expect to hear something great when Young Thug and Drake collaborate with each other; once again, ‘Oh U Went’ delivers on that assumption. This is a bright and exciting R&B Trap banger that has an awesome instrumental that brings out the best in both of these rappers. this instrumental is so catchy and easy-going: it is driven by a 90s-style Neo-Soul melody provided by a vocal sample and guitar that is put over a calm and relaxing Pop-Trap beat. Both Young Thug and Drake show out on this track. Both of them rap with addicting flows and vocal tones that ride over the instrumental perfectly. ‘Oh U Went’ is such a pleasant R&B Trap banger that I know I and so many other fans of these two will be listening to time and time again in the near(and not so near) future.

WENT THRU IT

One of the best things about Young Thug’s artistry has always been his willingness to push boundaries in Trap music in ways no one else has thought was possible. ‘Went Thru It’ is the perfect example of this. ‘Went Thru It’ is a weird Pop-Trap track that seems to draw influence from early 2000s Y2K Pop music. The melody for this song, which is provided by extremely distorted synths, has a sound that makes me think of early 2000s artists like Kyle Minogue, Britney Spears, or Fergie. It is just so quirky and interesting and unlike any other Trap music being made currently. Young Thug’s vocal performance on this track is equally riveting and strange as the instrumental. His vocals match up with the uncanny sound of the instrumental flawlessly and make the song that much better. ‘Went Thru It’ is an abnormal yet great Pop-Trap track that I am sure will inspire a new, invigorating trend in Pop-Trap music.

HELLCAT KENNY FEAT. LIL UZI VERT

If the song preceding it on this list is the most basic and nonchalant song I picked, ‘Hellcat Kenny’ featuring Lil Uzi Vert very well might be the most thrilling. Along with ‘Went Thru It’’ and ‘Cars Bring Me Out,’ this is definitely one of my favorite songs of the record; in fact, I enjoy this one so much that I could see myself picking it as one of my favorite Trap songs of 2023 and one of my favorite tracks from the first half of the year in general. This song has such a dark and gritty sound that I enjoy it so much. The melody is so foreboding and the beat is so fierce, giving the song this menacing quality that makes it so engaging. Young Thug’s vocal performance is solid and fits the instrumental well, but Lil Uzi Vert really stands out on this ‘Hellcat Kenny.’ He raps with a level of fervor that fits the harsh tone of the song so nicely, and the way he fluctuates his tone gives the track so much texture. ‘Hellcat Kenny’ is an electrifying Trap banger that I know I will be coming back to again and again.