Top 5 Collaborations On Young Thug's "Slime Language"

Young Thug has had his fans fiends foaming at the mouth (almost literally) for his latest release. Well, really, ANY release would have done for this thirsty of a fanbase. I mean, maybe there would have been even more foaming at the mouth were this the release of the near-mythical HiTunes, but we're not a picky lot, Slime Language definitely does the trick. It may be early in the game, but upon our first or rather, second, third, fourth listen we're picking out the top five best collaborations from the 15-track release. That, too (!) -- in a day and age when this could have been a 20+ song release, Thug cut it at the rather reasonable 15 -- even that somehow feels "long" for the King Slime, but the listening session itself proves otherwise. As eccentric as ever, and with plenty of new or lesser-known voices to introduce us, the ride was always engaging, from the intro song, a solo endeavour that is as wavy as its title, "Tsunami," to the closer with next-up Nechie, "Slimed In." It wasn't necessarily an easy task, but here's our top five.

What's on your top five off Slime Language? Let us know in the comments. We decided not to consider the two Thug solo songs ("Gain Clout" and "Tsunami" respectively-- don't discount their dopeness, though) for this particular list, because, collabs. Presented in no particular order, mind you.

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This song is the weirdest one of the project, probably, but for Thug, that means greatness. You know it's gunna be strange as soon as it starts: a series of screech-like "slatts" make up the intro, and then proceed to occupy ad-lib status through out Thug's own sporadic verse. The beat is screeching and ticking, but what makes this collaboration so amazing is the "Harambe"-like explorative flows that Thug uses. From squeaky, to raspy, to growl-like, Thug's voice knows no bounds. Tracy T doesn't falter either, giving us gruff bars to juxtapose Thug's melodic hook. However his verse is short, and Thug remains the highlight of this collab.

This isn't the first time we've heard from Thug's two sisters, Dorah and Dolly, and liked what we heard. Although Dorah appears to have updated her name slightly, it's the same two siblings that dropped Family Ties in 2016, with the stand-out (Thug) collaboration "Serving the Plug." With fond memories of that release in mind, I was curious/excited to see what they'd do on this Slime Language family release. Although HiDoraah's own feature on "Oh Yeah" was a little more underwhelming, when the sisters were paired up together once more, later in the project -- this time without brother in tow -- the result is fire. "Expensive" is a catchy, jumpy look at what these two sisters can do together. Dolly handles the hook and takes a cue from Thug when she stretches her voice into unlikely contortions, while HiDoraah fares much better in her verse sans-auto-tune here, moving from a syncopated to an elongated flow.

"Slimed In" will act as the first listen of Nechie for most of us, and he gives us a Gunna-like flow over the dark, piano-driven beat from Turbo. It's a hard ending to the project, and while this is Nechie's sole appearance on the compilation, he keeps the spotlight on lock for the collaboration. Thug pops up for a drippy second verse, with sharp pronunciations of his words, referencing that abortion he made his baby mama get. Nechie is clearly gang though, from vocals to flow, he fits in the Slime landscape perfectly. 

This one was an easy addition, almost necessary. The trifecta, as it were, of Slime-approved ATLiens. We've seen their chemistry on wax before, and as artists that appear to be genuine in friendship, it translates to their studio sessions. It's not exactly a groundbreaking record, but it's a tried and true formula we welcome, with talk of easily-attainable luxury items due to their current status, while the inclusion of wayward horns adds to the whole vibe.

Gunna gets the most time as a featured artist on Slime Language, perhaps plucked by Thugger himself as the shining star of his many proteges, at least for the moment. "Dirty Shoes" in particular seems to be the song that his camp is attempting to highlight the most off the album, placing it in wide view on streaming services and press releases alike. For good reason, though. The song takes on that country trap twang that Thug first dabbled in with Beautiful Thugger Girls-- not just for the guitar buried in the background, but later, the song is stripped down even more to its acoustic roots, while Thug murmurs about getting his bitches to have a two-way before he makes his entrance, rounding it out with a good ol' "hey!". For all the songs that bring Gunna along, this one is definitely the most engaging.