Three days before announcing the release of his EP, “On the Rvn,” rapper Young Thug was charged with eight felonies rooting from an arrest in his home state of Georgia last September. Seven of these charges were drug related, and Young Thug was most recently arrested for firearm possession at his album release party at a Dave & Busters in Los Angeles.
Thugger’s six track project kicks off with “On the Run,” a solid song with a feature by Offset, whose verse was added in on Oct. 6, nearly two weeks after the EP’s release. In the song, Thug may be alluding to evading his drug charges down south. He raps, “If the opp come, I get to squeezin’ on the mop / I’m on the run, bitch, I just took off on the cops.”
On “Icey,” Young Thug keeps the focus on his diamonds and jewelry. It resembles songs such as “Audemar” and “Chanel (Go Get It)” off his album “Slime Language,” which was released this past August and was chock full of features from his Young Stoner Life Records crew. Although the track holds up as a party trap song, it doesn’t do much justice to Thug’s unique voice.
Atlanta-artist 6LACK teams up with Young Thug on “Climax,” a love song about betrayal. 6LACK’s ability to write and perform these kinds of angsty songs balances with Thug’s ability to energize a track while keeping it real.
In the song’s hook, the two sing about a girl who chooses a man who can please her better and provide her with luxury. “You said no interest, said you found a better climax/ You said he’s swagged out, you leave/ It’s like a shot to the back through the nose of a barrel/ For you don’t want to go, but leave, like it’s nothing.”
On “Sin,” YT collabs with Jaden Smith. The two rappers recently appeared together on J. Cole’s KOD Tour. The song’s purpose serves more as a filler, as both artists loosely touch subjects of money, sex, fashion, and power.
The most interesting song on Young Thug’s EP, “High,” is saved for last. The track is a beautiful remix of Elton John’s 1972 hit, “Rocket Man.” Thugger surprises listeners with his dynamic singing voice, hitting plenty of high notes as well as completely reimagining the classic rock song.
John seems to be a big fan of Young Thug. During his Beats1 radio show, he said, “This is so cool and so good. These things are the great surprises in what I do. Sometimes you hear something that you never knew was going to happen or never thought was going to happen in a million years.”
Young Thug’s “On the Rvn” puts a couple more hits under the rapper’s belt. He is due to appear in court on October 9, where fans will find out if Thug may need to be on the run — for good.
