Paul Thompson just did a feature, went and copped the Rollie.
“I’m back at it, Juugman voice” — Young Thug, 2013
Yung Ralph didn’t let the dust sit. Near the end of the Bush administration, the Atlantan cut through his city’s ringtone din to score a regional hit in “Look Like Money.” That song became a deal with Universal, which quickly became a stint on the shelf. When it was finally clear that his debut album, Most Unexpected, wasn’t going to drop, he started plotting.
Though he’d never match his inhuman levels of output, Ralph aligned himself with Gucci Mane, appearing alongside Yo Gotti on his wildly successful “Bricks.” (Nicki Minaj famously plays an eye-rolling ride-or-die in the video; she and Ralph would later link up on “I Bought That,” a love letter to late-2000s Autotune.)
In 2013, a mixtape–the prescient Juugin’ Round the City–started the re-education. Subsequently, show-stopping turns on Rich Gang’s “I’mma Ride” and Young Thug’s “Rarri” helped calcify the demand. Now the Zone 3 native is ready to pull back the curtain on the second act. I Am Juugman, Ralph’s new record, was first teased by its Fetty Wap-assisted “Act a Fool” and is followed here by the video for “Everyday.”
Where Juugin’ Round the City was notable for its low end-heavy maximalism, “Everyday” siphons all the shine toward Ralph himself. In fact, the song is anchored by an acapella chorus that leaves plenty of room for his distinctive growl. I Am Juugman features Thug, Fetty, Trouble, T Mac, and more, as well as a veritable who’s-who of Atlanta’s biggest producers. It’s due next month, with the rest of the snow.
