Best New Music - A Look at the Best New Music the Rap Scene Has to Offer

So Much Fun- Young Thug

As the title suggests, the Atlanta MC throws all reservations out the window and gives us the most jovial version of himself in So Much Fun.

The hip-hop community has celebrated Young Thug over the past few years for his unorthodox and straight-up weird delivery. He may not be the most innovative lyricist, but his overall creative ability is unrivaled in today’s rap slate. This was especially relevant in his 2017 mixtape Beautiful Thugger Girls, where he transformed into a country singer long before anyone had heard the name Lil Nas X. So Much Fun is as loose as we have seen Thug so far in his career. He lets his creativity go, which is truly a thing to behold.

Thug offers us a little bit of everything on his latest project. On the first track, “Just How It Is” he delivers a composed and smooth track thin with autotune. The instrumental consists of just a few guitar chords which allows Thug to rap, where he can thrive. 

Thug branches out after the first track. On almost every song, he gives us multiple versions of himself. Many of the hooks are delivered by his high-pitched, ecstatic persona while most of his verses are delivered in a more subdued manner. 

The cut that stood out to me the most was “What’s the Move”. This song truly feels like a journey through a exotic rainforest, which is represented by various samples of chirping birds sprinkled generously throughout the song. It’s not a banger, but it is the most inventive and complete song on the record. Towards the end of the album, “Circle of Bosses” and “Mannequin Challenge” finish off the album nicely, where both features Quavo and Juice WRLD shine. 

Young Thug can get a tad too ambitious at times, which shows on “Cartier Gucci Scarf” where he raps in a raspy, hard-to-listen-to style which is just a little too much. I also find it hard to see why NAV was included on this project. His verse on “Boy Back” is laughably bad, as is nearly everything he seems to come out with nowadays. 

I think it will be hard to deny that So Much Fun is one of the albums of the year. Young Thug is the most unique artist on the scene right now and I cannot wait to see where he goes next. 

Trying to Find my Next Thrill- Cousin Stizz

Cousin Stizz takes another step in the right direction on his second and most complete album. 

Boston rapper Cousin Stizz has been criminally underrated for his entire career. He has been putting out quality music since 2015 and still has never broken into the mainstream. Despite his substantial following in his hometown, that same fandom hasn’t caught on nationally. As a Bostonian, I was made aware of Stizz’s presence a while ago and I think it is time more people recognize his talent. 

Trying to Find my Next Thrill is made up of both braggadocious anthems like “Anonymous”, “Soso”, “Toast 2 That” and also serene tracks about Stizz’ come up such as “Beamin” and “Traumatized”. He can pull both varieties off successfully which makes the album entertaining to listen to from front to back. 

The anthems hit hard and are supported by great features from Smino, $ean Wire, and Freddie Gibbs, who gives us a particularly brisk verse. Stizz shines while providing both verses and hooks on these tracks. 

The more tranquil tracks feature bare instrumentals that allow Stizz enough room to deliver in any flow he desires. These tracks feature more lyrical finesse where Stizz talks about his troubled background and advises those who are in his former position. Cousin Stizz is always very reflective in all of his albums and he never forgets where he comes from. 

On Trying to Find my Next Thrill, Cousin Stizz looks to the future while also not letting go of his past. With this project, he adds another lively and thoughtful album to his collection.