Fingers crossed that Jeffery will drop on August 26, as Lyor Cohen has hinted, but at this point, we won't hold our breath. In the meantime, Thug has assuaged his fans with the release of "Elton," a collaboration with the great Wyclef Jean. The song will continue to be dissected for weeks to come, though upon initial listening, it seems that it acts as an ode to a lover as well as to Thug's newly unveiled persona, "Jeffery," which Wyclef softly repeats as Thug yaps "wet, wet" and other rhyming syllables on the hook. Earlier this year, Thug met the presumed namesake of his new song, and it was rumored that they had worked on a remix to "Rocket Man," the Elton John hit that happens to be referenced on "Elton."
His new track is as mysterious, nonsensical, and ultimately, as intriguing as the personality that has allowed Young Thug to remain such an exciting figure for a few years now. His stardom still feels like it's just beginning, and that's because he's retained an enigmatic aura around his music and his celebrity. His influence in pop culture will continue to spread as fans and critics attempt to figure him out to no avail. His mastery of remaining unpredictable in and outside of his music has led to heightened scrutiny upon his every move. Here are 5 stunts he's pulled off this year that have helped make Thug bigger than ever in 2016. And we've barely just met Jeffery...
No, My Name Is Jeffery
Last month, Young Thug announced that, before the release of the long-awaited Hi-Tunes, he'd be dropping a mixtape that uses his first name -- Jeffery -- as its title. Jeffery -- which will now most certainly be a commercial release -- is now one of the most anticipated projects of the season.
Technically speaking, though, Jeffery will not be a Young Thug project. According to the boss of 300 Entertainment, Lyor Cohen, Thug is changing his moniker to "No, My Name Is Jeffery." On a recent episode of Travi$ Scott's ".Wav" radio show, however, Thug suggested that his stage name will simply be Jeffery (and not No, My Name Is...) for the first week upon the release of Jeffery. He'll then presumably become Young Thug again, unless he moves 100,000 copies Jeffery during that week, in which case Young Thug may forever become a character of the past.
Whether Jeffery will be Thug's third project of the year or the first of the artist known as Jeffery's career, it should be something special.
Jeffery Tracklist
The handwritten Jeffery tracklist shows a concise eight songs. The names of each of the tracks -- those that are legible at least -- were the source of immediate intrigue. They include: "Floyd Mayweather," "Future Song," "Pop Man," "Switzz Beat," "Bird Man," and "Etlon Jhon." The actual title of the lattermost misspelled track has now been revealed to be "Elton," a collaboration with Wyclef Jean that dropped earlier today.
Soon after the unveiling of the tracklist, Thug's girlfriend, Jerrika Karlae, revealed that each of the Jeffery tracks is dedicated to one of Thug's foremost idols, which makes sense. Though the discovery has left fans wondering who the "Pop Man" is. Also, the tracks that were the most difficult to read have since been feverishly dissected. Some have suggested that the title of track #2 (see below) reads "Fuck Lyor." Lyor Cohen, who has a leading role in the release and rollout of Jeffery, could easily be one of Thug's idols, so one might wonder why the young Slime would dedicate a track to him and also diss him in the title of said track. Then again, when reminded of the subject at hand, it makes perfect sense.
The leading interpretation of the title of the final track is "Young Jeffery." Again, it shouldn't be too surprising that Thug would dedicate a song to himself, especially as he reportedly wrote his biggest solo hit to date, "Best Friend," about himself. It's become clear that Young Thug and Jeffery are two separate personas, so who exactly is Young Jeffery? A fusion of both? We're eager to find out.
The "Slime Season" Funeral
As has been the case with many of Thug's projects, there were multiple delays ahead of the release of Slime Season 3, which was announced in December and finally put out at the end of March. In fact, he decided to drop a surprise project called I'm Up before sharing what will likely be the last installment of his famed "Slime Season" series.
When Thug and the rest of his competition went down to Texas for SXSW, Lyor Cohen announced his plans to "bury" Slime Season 3. It was unclear as to what he was getting at until a funeral procession appeared in downtown Austin during one night of the festival. A group of pallbearers, backed by a marching band, carried a coffin that was adorned with decals of Slime Season 3, YSL, 300, and the SS3 release date of March 25, which ended up being the real deal. It was a genius marketing stunt as well as a fitting ceremony to bid adieu to to a historic hip-hop trilogy.
Soooo the awkward moment you see a casket in the middle of 6th street... #sxsw pic.twitter.com/Km6ZKGTveN
His Infamous Baby Mama Tirade
Young Thug is clearly in love with his girl Jerrika Karlae, whom he lays with in the "Worth It" video. That doesn't mean he's willing to forego all drama with his baby mamas. In fact, he's not afraid to publicly put them on blast for their allegedly trifling ways. Last month, after one of his baby mothers apparently hit him with a child abandonment warrant, Thug returned the favor by embarking on a vicious, partly hilarious, and partly disturbing tirade, in which he accused her of dropping his kids off in "shitty pampers," outed her 23-year-old sister as a bedwetter, and told her that his estranged former Rich Gang partner, Rich Homie Quan, doesn't want any piece of his either.
Your lil sis still piss In the bed and she's 23.... Your house is empty but u make money?? Bitch the only income u got came from ME!!!
My son chain broke and u put a safety pin on it but I'm unfit??
My kids clothes smell like peePee.. 🙈🙊🙉 monkey bum ass hoe!!!
U bring my kids to see me with shitty pampers on and no chaging clothes but I'm unfit!!!
Don't ever try to embarrass me to the public junky hoe... ME OR QUAN DONT WANT CHA!!
I pay 4K a month for my 2 kids by u bum.... But u sent a letter to my house for a child abandonment warrant!!!
My kids don't want for nun junky bum as hoe... And I don't want u baby.. Ur ugly and stinky- the opposite of my bitch
A Series of Veteran Collabs
Beginning with "Stoner" in early 2014 and through the release of the Barter 6 and the first couple of Slime Season's, Young Thug stood as an emissary for the youth and the new generations mission to break the traditional constraints of hip-hop and of pop culture in general. His sound was initially abhorrent to much of the old guard. Now, well into 2016, Thug is undeniably one of the biggest stars in the game, and he's earned the support of veterans who've already cemented their statuses in the pantheon of modern music.
He was one of three guests, next to Drake and Kanye West, on the new album from Gucci Mane, who gave him -- as well as many of today's young stars -- an early cosign before he was incarcerated. And most of Thug's other notable collabs have also come with artists 35 and over, as he's appeared on Kanye's "Highlights," Usher's "No Limit," and most recently, alongside Wyclef Jean on "Elton," the first track off Jeffery to see an early release. He and Tip also recently got together for a tribute to the late soul great Bobby Womack. With his choice of pairings this year, Thug has revealed his aspirations of being not just a messenger of the youth but a timeless voice that deserves to live among the great artists who've inspired his free-spirited style.