After releasing a compilation that would forecast the next generation of hitmakers, Young Thug and his label, YSL Records have returned with another batch of young guns set to takeover the industry with a steady roster of star-studded features to assist the crew.
Whatever your feelings on the first compilation were, you can’t deny that the first Slime Language helped usher in a new wave of street artists that would soon dominate the industry. Since the first compilation, YSL Records saw major success with the limelight on Gunna, who had already developed a good buzz in early 2018, and Lil Keed, who would slowly make his way to the top position over the last two years. Being that the two have experienced major success, it was time for Young Thug to bring in the next set of artists to allow them to make their mark on the world through the compilation project.
The compilation has a lengthy run time of an hour and 15 minutes with 23 tracks overall. Composed of a lot of popular trap-inspired sounds, its very hard to an album of this caliber to retain the attention of the listener throughout its entire run time. Slime Language 2 falls victim to a very oversaturated format commonly used in today’s musical landscape, making it somewhat of a chore to get through at times.
While it can be a burden to fully finish at times, Slime Language 2 has a handful of standout tracks that help carry the album out of its deep troughs. Certain tracks radiate a particular energy that immerse in the infectious hooks and choruses, a definite example coming from the intro. The album starts off with the contagious “Slatty” (which helped spawn some memes after the album’s release) containing YSL heavy hitters Young Thug, Gunna and Yak Gotti. The title of the track is repeated multiple times, making up the song’s chorus. Instances similar to this occur all throughout the album, which can take some adjusting but don’t negatively affect the individual tracks entirely.
Another aspect that uplifts the album is its supreme roster of features. Seemingly everyone from the industry showed up and definitely showed out on this project, from Drake to Travis Scott to Kid Cudi. Every feature nails their contribution, whether it was a long verse or a minor chorus. However, there were two features that stood out from the bunch: Drake on “Solid” and Lil Uzi Vert on “Proud of You.” Drake’s verse on “Solid” was definitely better than the title suggests and gives us a glimpse on what style fans could receive on his upcoming release. While Uzi’s feature was amazing as well, what made his contribution stand out the most was the fact that it was one of the various leaks that was finally officially released. Slime Language 2 managed to bring out the best of its guest appearances and utilize those strong features to create key strong moments among the album.
The features were a great touch to the album, but overshadowed the incoming talent that the project intended to display. While most of the YSL artists did get their individual moments to shine on occasion (ex. T-Shyne on “That Go!” and Lil Duke on “Pots n Pans”) the overwhelming amount of features can shine away from what the label’s artists have to offer.
The production behind the album was an expected style; arranged with the typical trap sound format that is common among the current landscape of hip-hop. With an album consisting of 20+ tracks, the production begins to feel repetitive after a while. This trap-inspired sound is accessible enough for any listener to click play and vibe out, but once you zone in on the album’s sound, periods of repetition and dullness begin to arise.
In accord to the repetition within from the production, the structure of the album maintain’s the same sound all throughout the run time of the project, which makes for an easily approachable project, but kills the overall cohesion of the album. Once you get accustomed to the overall sound of the project, the dip in quality occurs around the middle portion of the album. While there were many amazing features, they don’t necessarily resolve this issue as the differing styles make the album feel all over the place.
All in all, Slime Language 2 manages to top its predecessor utilizing YSL’s keen eye for talent and a plethora of star-studded contributions as its main strengths. However, the album fails to maintain interest all throughout the project, as it succumbs to a common oversaturated format as its main sound base. Young Thug and his record label, YSL Records, did a great job composing most of the tracks, but the contradiction in various sound clashes negatively affects the cohesion of the project. But to play devil’s advocate, the album is a very fun listen and can be thrown on at any time, which is what artists like Young Thug strive for when releasing their music.
6.5 / 10
Best tracks: “Solid”, “Proud of You”, “Diamonds Dancing”, “Moon Man”, “Ski”, “Paid the Fine”, “That Go!”
Mic Cheque 