In a year likely to be filled with up-and-comer Young Thug, he and his 1017 Brick Squad Executive Gucci Mane recently released a tag team mixtape dubbed Young Thugga Mane La Flare. This release comes as somewhat of a surprise since Gucci has been in the midst of legal troubles, but Young Thug seems to have taken control of the mixtape and the results are amazing.
Gucci and Thug are both Atlanta rappers — Gucci is known for his gritty trap hip-hop persona, his habit of getting into beef with other rappers like Young Jeezy and Waka Flocka and, of course, his trouble with the law. Despite it all, Gucci Mane has enjoyed impressive success, releasing multiple studio alums, a number of mixtapes and even a cameo in “Spring Breakers.”
Young Thug is really what makes Young Thugga Mane La Flare raise eyebrows. Thug’s style, lyricism and tone of voice are not what anyone expects from a typical rapper — especially one who comes from an area with a distinct hip-hop scene like Atlanta. But his confidence, completeness and skill make his differences as an artist admirable rather than working against his aspirations.
The combination of these two artists creates great chemistry throughout the mixtape. Gucci’s trap rap style, with his menacing and drug-laced lyrics, are a theme in tape, along with Thug’s youthful passion, which is reflected in his bars. An example of this is on the track “Stone 2 Times,” which has guitar sounds in the backing that Thug easily adapts to as he leads the track. But even when Gucci gets on the track, he goes just as hard spitting bars reminiscent of his earlier days in hip-hop (yes, before the ice cream tattoo on his face).
It’s interesting to hear how Young Thug alters his lyrical pacing, tone of voice and other aspects of his style depending on the tone of the track he’s on. It makes him not only a versatile spitter, but also allows him to keep his content fresh, with a good beat and an interesting, unpredictable flow to match that. Thug will certainly be making even bigger waves in the game in 2014.
Overall, this mixtape is outstanding. The way Gucci and Thug work together on Young Thugga Mane La Flare make each artist try to outdo the other in a constant tit-for-tat throughout the entire mixtape, where Young Thug keeps a fresh and unique twist on every song he’s in and Gucci continues to keep his drug and gun toting themes persistent. Even Gucci’s flow and the way he approaches each song sounds as if a reservoir of vigor has been tapped by working with the ambitious and soon-to-be-successful Young Thug. Young Thugga Mane La Flare shows Gucci may not be entirely irrelevant in hip-hop and that he still has some life left in him and also that Young Thug is a force to be reckoned with — a good sign of things to come from the Thug and Brick Squad in 2014.
