SUPER SLIMEY is a raw glimpse at two of the foremost Atliens working towards a common goal: recognition of their collective talents. But, often times, it feels like this joint effort between Future and Young Thug could very well be a collection of throwaways from their year long recording stint (808 Mafia co-founder, Southside, implied as much in a recent Complex interview). They don’t go straight for the hits, which is admirable, opting instead to treat this outing as a sparring ground for their ever-elusive raps. However, with this in mind, only a few cuts (“Patek Water,” “Real Love,” “Mink Flow”) sound fully realized, and the solo tracks end up making as much of an impact as the group efforts.
One of these standalone joints, “Killed Before,” is a bluesy banger from Thug and longtime collaborator, London On Da Track. Since before the days of “Check,” and even before the days of “Lifestyle,” “Hookah,” and “About the Money,” London has been crucial in challenging and molding Thug’s palette. Their chemistry is undeniable and they’ve always seemed fixated on creating defiant, genre-bending anthems. Despite all they’ve already accomplished together, “Killed Before” breaks new ground as London’s wistful beat, anchored by a nostalgic guitar loop, inspires Thug to deliver what may be his best performance of the year. A beautifully surreal hook, about reincarnation and $4 million worth of jewelry, is met with two sweeping, stellar verses that are hinged on Thug’s mesmerizing vocal range. It’s undeniable proof that the best is yet to come.
Thug’s now-iconic Slime Season series was always supposed to be a Young Thug & London On Da Track collab - an idea that was presumably offset by the vast amount of leaks that occurred in May of 2015. In the wake of that carnage, Slime Season 1 and Slime Season 2 turned into efforts to salvage the best leaks, and Slime Season 3 (which was rolled out with a literal funeral procession), a clear bid to the mainstream, was made out to be the last installment in the series. In general, it never felt right that they capped off the entire series without trying to deliver on the original premise.
If Thug and London were to release Slime Season 4 this year, we have no doubt that it would be one of, if not the wildest, most unhinged record of 2017. It could also spark another career-changing run for the 26 year old rapper. They have been teasing a pt. 4 for a few months now and it would be the perfect bookend to one of the most surreal years in recent memory. To give you a taste of why we’re so eager for this project, the following three collaborations with London have all been leaked this year and, yup, you guessed it - they are all varying levels of great.
"Smash"
Seemingly meant for Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 2, “Smash” is the most generic of these leaks. Still, the rambling intro about Instagram, Boston and see-through elevators is trademark Thugger, and the by-the-numbers hook is met with a fierce verse that sees Thug rapping vicious lines like, “the Rollie red like a beam, fuck your dream and your team.” The most bewildering series of bars, however, has got to be: “My ho’ from Dallas like a Maverick/Go to Africa to get some karats/Make her call him miss, no carriage.”
"Jeep"
Sporadic yet hard-hitting rhymes delivered in a fluctuating shrill over a restrained, 808-heavy composition - sounds par for the course for Thug x London, does it not? However, no matter how predictable it may look on paper, there is nothing normal about “Jeep.” The chorus is sinister in its provocation, the verses beg for repeated listens and the ad-libs continue to highlight Thug’s long-underrated comedic timing (“priceless!”). London’s beat sounds a bit like he flipped the melody Frank Dukes and Vinylz created for “Pick Up the Phone” last year, but it’s hardly the backbone to the composition. Instead, the beat is stripped down to its core and leaves a lot of negative space for Thug to bounce of the walls. The 26-year old sounds fearless, effortlessly moonwalking like he’s “Michael J,” wearing “Metallic Balmain” like he’s Drake and, in a way only Thug can, bragging about being “very good at mathematics.” This track sounds damn near finished as is, and it’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to see it find a home on an official project.
"Macarena"
The best of the bunch, “Macarena” is everything we love about Thug: awe-inspiring vocals, inexplicably catchy flows and clever, often-layered lyrics over a twinkling London On Da Track beat. Thug’s vocals build on each other like he’s creating his own beat, with carefully ad-libbed “ooo-wops” and “woos” peppering the two, equally stellar verses. When he’s not singing his heart out, milking the last note in every bar for all its worth, Thug raps, “I got a Draco for these grumpy bad cops” and, “look at the transition in my mugshots, you can tell I’m getting dough,” proving yet again that he’s the King of finding the simplest way of delivering the most poignant of thoughts. Within the first 3 days of getting this track, this writer listened to it over 65 times. No cap. “Macarena” is one of Thug’s best offerings this year, and still only feels like a glimpse of what Thugger and London got in the vault from 2016/2017.
Thug & London together are highly influential despite often being inimitable - they could possibly shift the soundscape for 2018 if they make a conscious effort to deliver with Slime Season 4. While we’re sure we’ll get more tracks involving these two when the time is right (maybe on London’s own upcoming album or - *sighs noticeably* - on Hy!£UN35), it couldn’t hurt to show just how much the fans are waiting for this pairing of minds to kick things into high gear.
Basically, what we’re saying is that we live in weird, slimey times and deserve an equally weird & slimey album to feed our souls.
Sound off below if you feel the same.
