Early this month, Young Thug and Drake reunited — on digital wax if not in real life — on Thug’s new album, Business Is Business for a pair of tracks, “Parade On Cleveland” and “Oh You Went,” continuing their longstanding chemistry. Today, they shared the video for the latter track, which makes up for the lack of Young Thug’s physical presence with a few reminders of his impact on music fans in his native Atlanta.
Of course, while Young Thug’s presence is still felt in having young fans clamor all over Drake to recite Thug’s lyrics, the Atlanta rapper remains incarcerated. He’s (still) awaiting trial on charges of racketeering and other crimes, accused by the State of being the ringleader of a criminal organization responsible for wreaking havoc throughout Atlanta.
Being locked up didn’t stop Thug from releasing new music, though — even if the music was actually kind of old. Business Is Business is largely made up of material Thug had previously recorded before being arrested last year. Some fans still couldn’t help but conjecture about whether or not he’d commented on his present standing with YSL artist Gunna, who was released after accepting a plea deal in which he admitted to being in a gang.
Business Is Business is out now via Young Stoner Life Records/300 Entertainment/Atlantic Records. Get it here.
Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
On July 8, Billboardreleased its latest albums chart, and One Thing At A Time notched its 15th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 as Wallen nears Adele’s record-most 24 total No. 1 weeks on the Billboard 200 with 21 from 2011-12. As it stands, Wallen’s One Thing At A Time already has the most No. 1 weeks by any album since the aforementioned run from Adele, as per the publication. Tthe only interruption was Swift’s Midnights on the June 10 and June 17 charts.
“Although incarceration isn’t the same as death, the album’s compilation of old verses and guest appearances makes it feel almost cobbled together the way some notable posthumous releases have been and raises the question of how much of this was what Thug actually wanted versus how much of it was just feasible over the past few months,” Williams wrote.
He added, “As it stands, the project is a testament to the value of sequencing and an emblem of what the music world might lose if Young Thug loses his case.”
As for Thug’s No. 2 debut, Billboard explained why he shouldn’t feel bad about it, noting that Wallen’s One Thing At A Time “has blocked” 10 prior albums from sniffing the No. 1 spot and forced a No. 2 debut, including Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract), Niall Horan’s The Show, Jimin’s Face, and Agust D’s D-Day. If it stays at No. 2 or below, Business Is Business will become the 11th album on that list.
Young Thug’s BUSINESS IS BUSINESS is one of the biggest rap albums of the year so far, with its No. 2 debut on the Billboard charts marking the Atlanta trap pioneer’s eighth top ten placement. More importantly, the album contains plenty of highlights, whether it be Thug’s solo tracks or some of his excellent collaborations. However, one big question that fans had about the album regards the recording and production process, since he’s in jail. Now, it looks like TMZ brought some answers thanks to a conversation they had with producer Southside. He worked on the album and offered some brief but interesting insights into the business of BUSINESS IS BUSINESS.
Furthermore, he said that they completed the album in “a week, two weeks.” In regards to this feat, he credited executive producerMetro Boomin for keeping up a fast-paced workflow across all collaborators. Considering that many album cuts are older tracks, the short time in the studio for this album makes much more sense. In addition, the producer revealed that some of Young Thug’s vocals were recorded and sent in on the phone, although he suggested that it was a very small amount.
Southside Speaks On Process For Young Thug’s New Album
Unfortunately, BUSINESS IS BUSINESS dropped just as Thugger faced more challenges and accusations in his RICO case as it started to pick up more steam. Most recently, his legal team denied claims that he provided information on a homicide. In addition, his lawyer motioned to remove certain charges from his indictment, as they are related to incidents that occurred over five years before Young Thug’s arrest. Still, there’s a lot of support behind him right now, even if his family also sees plenty of backs turned to him, as well. For example, his sister Dolly White recently expressed belief that everyone in Atlanta “hates” him.
Meanwhile, it seems like the rollout for this new album is far from over. Onlookers spotted Drakepotentially filming a music video for their collab “Oh U Went” in Memphis. Hopefully BUSINESS IS BUSINESS continues to see spins throughout the year. For more news and the latest updates on Young Thug and Southside, keep checking in with HNHH.
Lil Uzi Vert has been keeping us on our toes with teasers of his Pink Tape album for years now. On Friday (June 30), the highly anticipated effort finally hit DSPs, much to rap lovers’ relief. It came complete with 26 tracks and appearances from Don Toliver, Bring Me The Horizon, and Travis Scott. Perhaps one of the most well-received titles on LUV’s new release is “Endless Fashion” with Nicki Minaj. The Queen of Rap contributed a verse that she’s revealed was nothing short of “exhausting” to complete.
Little more than 24 hours after Pink Tape made its debut, it’s being reported that it could mark the first No. 1 hip-hop album of the year. Uzi’s last LP, Eternal Atake, arrived to great success in early 2020. It subsequently moved 288K album-equivalent units and earned 400M US streams in its first week. At the time, it was the fourth-largest streaming debut the music industry had seen, so it’s no wonder the Philadelphia native took their time with dropping the follow-up.
At the time of publication, Twitter is facing issues preventing us from receiving exact first week projections for Pink Tape. Regardless, knowing that the fashion icon could help hip-hop achieve such a major milestone is exciting.
It was thought that Young Thug might be the man for the job last month, however, he unfortunately fell short to Morgan Wallen after selling 88K. The country superstar has been topping the carts for several weeks now, but could very well be dethroned by Lil Uzi Vert in the coming days.
Young Thug’s BUSINESS IS BUSINESS Does Impressive Numbers
Check out last week’s full list of album sales on Reddit below. Are you surprised that Young Thug’s BUSINESS IS BUSINESS missed out on taking home rap’s first No. 1 album of 2023? Let us know in the comments, and read our review of the new YSL LP at the link above.
Of the two, Metro’s Version is — unsurprisingly — superior, despite having all the same tracks and only two new songs. Its success highlights the importance of sequencing on a project, an art that goes overlooked by fans all too often. Business Is Business presents a unique opportunity to explore how sequencing changes the tenor and direction of an album because while “deluxe editions” of albums have proliferated in the streaming era, rarely have they experimented with song order the way Metro does here.
For instance, on Metro’s Version, the late-album standout “Jonesboro” is repurposed as the intro; while it gets lost in the shuffle amid the original 15 tracks, popping up around the time that most albums tend to start dragging, on the deluxe edition, it sets the mood for the whole project. Although the vibey, melodic track “Parade On Cleveland” with Drake is probably one that fans were itching to get to upon the album’s release, “Jonesboro” more accurately predicts the… well… businesslike tone of the project.
Business Is Business is a much more somber effort than Thug’s prior releases So Much Fun and Punk, owing at least partially to his present circumstances as a guest of the Fulton County Jail. It also makes sinister tracks like the 21 Savage-featuring “Want Me Dead” and “Hoodie” featuring BSlime and Lil Gotit a bit uncomfortable to listen to, considering it was Thug’s lyrics about sliding on enemies that initially tied him to the Fulton County D.A’s racketeering case against gang/label YSL.
Likewise, the celebratory overtones of “Oh You Went” with Drake and “Hellcat Kenny” with Lil Uzi Vert are undermined by the looming threat of a prison sentence reaching football numbers hanging over Thugger’s head. And, of course, there’s another elephant in the room. Although incarceration isn’t the same as death, the album’s compilation of old verses and guest appearances makes it feel almost cobbled together the way some notable posthumous releases have been and raises the question of how much of this was what Thug actually wanted versus how much of it was just feasible over the past few months.
Similar projects recorded or released by incarcerated rappers like Drakeo The Ruler and 03 Greedo attempted to answer these questions with incomplete results, and Business Is Business rarely does better at doing so. Thug’s vocal and lyrical dynamism helps, as does his well-established chemistry with Metro as a producer and the team of beatmakers employed on the project. But you can’t help but wonder as you listen whether he’d have made changes to the beat selection or to his partners’ verses if he had true access to the process of putting things together.
The lack of Gunna and Lil Keed’s voices on the album only twists the knife. While Gunna was able to process his feelings about the past year on his own new album, he was only free to record it by potentially betraying his longtime mentor, benefactor, and friend. Meanwhile, even if Thug truly believed that Gunna isn’t a “snitch,” they’re barred from associating by the courts anyway, breaking up what has been a lucrative and creatively fruitful musical partnership, if not a criminal one.
Metro does a superb job of tying the disparate elements of the album together enough to sound like a cohesive project on the original but truly works wonders on the resequenced version bearing his name. If his efforts weren’t undermined by the above concerns, Business Is Business might have been a triumph in the same order as his and Thug’s last handful of releases. As it stands, the project is a testament to the value of sequencing and an emblem of what the music world might lose if Young Thug loses his case.
Business Is Business is out now on Young Stoner Life Record / 300 Entertainment.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Just days after releasing the Young Thug album Business Is Business, the project’s producer Metro Boomin shared a deluxe edition reissue, subtitled “Metro’s Version.” Here, the tracklist is rearranged and two new songs have been added — “Sake Of My Kids” and “Money” featuring Juice WRLD and Nicki Minaj. The latter track turns out to be especially poignant, as it reunites the incarcerated Thug with the late Juice WRLD, giving fans a glimpse of what that joint album they were supposedly working on in 2019 would have sounded like.
It also reconnects Nicki and Juice after he joined her European tour in 2018. Unfortunately, they were never able to collaborate with each other, but she paid tribute to him with her Billboard Women In Music Game Changer Award acceptance speech, calling him a “kindred spirit.” Of course, Nicki and Thug had previously teamed up on a remix of one of Thug’s early hits, “Danny Glover,” as well as on Elton John’s 2021 Lockdown Sessions cut, “Always Love You.”
Despite what some people may want you to believe, Nicki Minaj is still very much the queen of rap. Overall, she is a legend in the game and many consider her to be one of the GOATs. Moreover, she is readying a brand-new album, which is something that fans are very excited about. Not to mention, we recently got “Barbie World” with Ice Spice, which is for the new Barbie film. All-in-all, things are going very well for Nicki right now, and she is definitely making sure fans are well-fed.
In fact, last night we got a brand-new version of Young Thug’s album Business Is Business. This new album is supposedly Metro Boomin’s idealized version of the project. Consequently, we get a new sequencing for the project as well as some additional songs. One of those tracks just so happens to be “Money” with Nicki Minaj and Juice WRLD. The track features a very unique old-timey sample, and so far, fans have been giving this new track glowing reviews.
Soon after the track’s release, Nicki Minaj took to her Instagram where she offered up a live stream for her fans. Moreover, some of these clips made it to her main page. In the video above, you can actually see Nicki vibing out to the new song. Clearly, she is feeling the new song, which came as a complete surprise to a whole lot of fans. Furthermore, this is the kind of song that will help build up anticipation for a brand-new album.
“Money”
With this new Young Thug and Juice WRLD collaboration out in the world, it will be interesting to see who Nicki works with in the future. Let us know your expectations for her album, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world. We will always be sure to bring you the latest releases from the biggest artists.
Young Thug has been incarcerated for quite a while now as he awaits trial in the YSL RICO case. Overall, it has been a very tough predicament for the legendary artist. However, fans have remained hopeful that he will eventually be released. Moreover, fans got a gift this past Friday as Young Thug came through with a new album called Business Is Business. This new project features the likes of Travis Scott, Yak Gotti, Drake, 21 Savage, and even Future. Fans were stoked to get this project, and now, they’ve gotten even more.
Last night, Metro Boomin got to release his own version of Business Is Business. This version came with a brand-new tracklist as well as some extra songs. Of course, the song everyone is gravitating toward right now is “Money.” Overall, this is due to the fact that the song comes with features from the likes of Juice WRLD and even Nicki Minaj. Needless to say, this is a song that packs a strong punch when it comes to star power.
Young Thug Connects With Nicki Minaj and Juice WRLD
Upon listening to the track, you will immediately get hit with an old-timey sample that sticks around the whole track. Some people are going to love this and others are going to hate it very quickly. However, there is no doubt that the song is getting a reaction. As for the verses, Nicki Minaj and Thugger certainly did their thing. Moreover, Juice WRLD sounds great on the song, and this is one of his better posthumous efforts.
No matter what, fans are just excited to have some new Young Thug music. While getting the original album was great, these extra songs are certainly a nice touch. Let us know what you think of “Money,” in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world.
Quotable Lyrics:
My mama told me, “Don’t trust nobody” Damn, mama, you seen it coming (Woo) That’s why I don’t keep this heat for nothin’ Try me, then you’re gettin’ one (On God) Plus one (Yeah), and a couple more, uh (Yeah) Thirty shots when I am all done (Slatt)
Young Thug and Metro Boomin are here to show us that business isn’t done, and there’s still more heat to come from the former’s latest album, executive produced by the latter. Moreover, the two just released BUSINESS IS BUSINESS (Metro’s Version) as a surprise drop, featuring some changes to the original. At first glance, the most notable ones are the additions of Juice WRLD and Nicki Minaj on the new track “Money.” Also, another big change is the added track “Sake Of My Kids,” which closes off this interpretation of the project. Finally, there’s the tracklist as a whole, which rearranges the order of its previously released material.
For example, now the gorgeous and heartfelt “Jonesboro” starts the album off. Metro Boomin even explained some of the logic behind these shifts on Twitter, stating that this is his original version of BUSINESS IS BUSINESS‘s sequencing. Still, it opens up a conversation around which order of the songs you prefer, as they both have their standout choices. “Uncle M” and “Want Me Dead” pair well as two of the more menacing cuts on the album. On the other hand, if you’re a Travis Scott fan, you might prefer his back-to-back-to-back features on “Wit Da Racks,” “Uncle M” (as a sample and added vocals), and “Abracadabra” on the original version.
BUSINESS IS BUSINESS By Young Thug, Reimagined & Expanded By Metro Boomin
Meanwhile, we have to mention the two new tracks: “Money” and “Sake Of My Kids.” As teased, Nicki Minaj comes through with some sharp bars and Juice WRLD floats over a banging sample-heavy beat on “Money.” “Sake Of My Kids” is a more measured but nonetheless engaging cut with classic Thug energy. Overall, this is a small but welcome reimagination of BUSINESS IS BUSINESS that doesn’t stale out with its added tracks, and shows the world that Thugger is still making a huge impact on the game despite his circumstances. Find the new version on your preferred streaming service, peep the altered tracklist below, and stick around on HNHH for the latest news on Metro Boomin and Young Thug.
Tracklist: 1. Jonesboro 2. Mad Dog 3. Uncle M 4. Want Me Dead (feat. 21 S*vage) 5. Cars Bring Me Out (feat. Future) 6. Oh U Went (feat. Drake) 7. Money (feat. Juice WRLD & Nicki Minaj) 8. Hoodie (feat. BSlime & Lil Gotit) 9. Wit Da Racks (feat. 21 S*vage, Travis Scott & Yak Gotti) 10. Parade On Cleveland (feat. Drake) 11. Abracadabra (feat. Travis Scott) 12. Went Thru It 13. Money On The Dresser 14. Hellcat Kenny (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) 15. Gucci Grocery Bag 16. Global Access (feat. Nate Ruess) 17. Sake Of My Kids
Just when we thought BUSINESS IS BUSINESS was released and done, it looks like business isn’t over yet. Moreover, Metro Boomin just announced that his version of the new Young Thug album will release tonight (June 26) at midnight. Furthermore, this new edition of the project features a reordered tracklist plus some other big surprises. First of all, two new tracks will appear on this version per his announcement: “Sake Of My Kids” and “Money.” Most excitingly, the latter of those tracks will feature none other than Juice WRLD and Nicki Minaj.
Of course, this announcement is very exciting for Thugger fans, and will allow them to experience the album in a different way. Not only that, but it also proves that Young Thug’s messages to Minaj on social media (which she responded to) weren’t wishful thinking after all. In fact, she had even said that “tonight might just be the night,” so clearly those efforts paid off. All that being said, the true extent of Metro Boomin’s reimagination of the project will only be fully revealed once we get out ears on it.
However, there is still one lingering question that remains after the producer’s announcement: what about Kanye West? After all, just like he messaged Nicki, Thug also sent social media messages at Ye, hinting at another collaboration. Perhaps Metro Boomin and other producers on BUSINESS IS BUSINESS will be joined by yet another beatmaker behind the boards. Whether “Money” or “Sake Of My Kids” contain a West credit remains to be seen. Still, maybe they couldn’t figure it out in time, or there’s even more business to come.
Another question people have concerning Young Thug is about his relationship with Gunna. As much as people can speculate online, it’s unlikely that fans will ever get true answers when it comes to this alleged beef. More importantly, the focus is back on the music, with both YSL affiliates dropping this year. With this hype announcement in mind, stay posted on HNHH for the latest updates on Metro Boomin and Young Thug.
