So Much Fun is the debut studio album by American rapper Young Thug. It was released on August 16, 2019, by YSL Records, 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Future, Machine Gun Kelly, Gunna, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Duke, 21 Savage, Doe Boy, Lil Keed, Quavo, Juice Wrld, Nav, J. Cole, and Travis Scott. The album was supported by the singles "The London" and "Hot".

So Much Fun
Standard cover art for the album, deluxe edition features a red landscape.
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 16, 2019 (2019-08-16)
Studio
Genre
Length62:04
Label
Producer
Young Thug chronology
On the Rvn
(2018)
So Much Fun
(2019)
Slime & B
(2020)
Singles from So Much Fun
  1. "The London"
    Released: May 23, 2019
  2. "Hot"
    Released: October 31, 2019

So Much Fun received generally positive reviews and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, becoming Young Thug's first US number-one album.

Production

edit

American musician J. Cole was originally rumored, without any official confirmation from Cole nor Thug, to serve as the executive producer on the album, but his contributions did not make it to the final album.[2][3] Among others, for the album Thug worked with Roddy Ricch, 21 Savage, and Gunna in recording sessions for the album.[4]

Release and promotion

edit

So Much Fun was originally titled GOLDMOUFDOG (stylized as GØŁDMØÜFDÖG) before Young Thug revealed the new title in an interview with podcast host Adam22 for his No Jumper channel.[5] Thug also announced the album's title had been changed on social media.[4] On August 10, 2019, Thug announced the album would be released on August 16.[6] The deluxe edition of the album was released on December 20, 2019, featuring five new tracks: "Diamonds", "Hop Off a Jet", "Die Today", "Millions", and the remix of "Hot".[7]

Singles

edit

The album's lead single, "The London" featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott, was released on May 23, 2019.[8] The song was produced by T-Minus.[8] It peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[9] The second single, "Hot" featuring Gunna, was released in a remix additionally featuring Travis Scott on October 31, 2019.[10] It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9]

Artwork

edit

The album's artwork features 803 posed Young Thugs used in order to form the rapper's face.[11]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[12]
Metacritic79/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
And It Don't StopB+[15]
ConsequenceB[16]
HipHopDX4.0/5[17]
NME     [18]
Pitchfork8.4/10[19]
PopMatters7/10[20]
RapReviews6/10[21]
Rolling Stone     [22]
Spectrum Culture     [23]

So Much Fun was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 10 reviews.[13] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[12]

Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork gave a positive review, stating "Despite all the collaborations on So Much Fun, the album is about Young Thug. He might not mystify as he did in the early stages of his career, when he was stumbling into new flows and deliveries at an inhuman pace, but now he's able to wield the madness with ease, satisfying in many modes".[19] Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX wrote that "Thugger has performed vocally like this before on Jeffrey, lyrically like this on Slime Season and emotionally like this on Beautiful Thugger Girls but not consistently have they all converged together like this, forging the ultimate Young Thug Voltron. Plus, this top-notch performance has been spread across such perfectly paced beats. Quite literally, the production on this album is just a blast".[17] Jacob Carey of Exclaim! said, "Although it may not be the best project that Young Thug has released, certain tracks off So Much Fun are guaranteed to become classic party anthems played at max volume for years".[24] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME stated, "So Much Fun is a free-spirited record that comes with heavy doses of ridiculousness, but it's lovably silly, and is a welcome dose of light relief".[18] Lucy Shanker of Consequence claimed, "So Much Fun succeeds in its quest to highlight the success of Young Thug; almost all of the 19 tracks could stand alone as a strong demonstration of what Thug does best, but they also work together to create a cohesive project".[16] Magazine publication Spin said, "Some classic records have been made in this mold; plenty of dull ones, too. So Much Fun is somewhere in the middle, with a handful of legitimately great songs, only a couple you may end up skipping, and none that sound like someone forgot to send them to the mastering engineer".[25]

Rolling Stone's critic Danny Schwartz said, "So Much Fun doesn't mark a step forward for his aesthetic, but rather an attempt to refine it".[22] In a mixed review, RapReviews's Steve "Flash" Juon stated: "You can't examine Young Thug's music too closely or think about it too carefully if you want to enjoy it, because the casual misogyny of throwing around "Pussy" as an insult reminds you he's not exactly progressive. If you're looking for bass to shake the concrete and singing so modulated as to nearly be R&B, tracks like "Jumped Out the Window" and "Boy Back" featuring NAV will definitely fit the bill."[21] In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau said that, "In alphabetical order, it's alienated, all-embracing, catchy, complacent, crass, dirty, dissolute, facile, fucked up, funny, hedonistic, insular, licentious, light-hearted, materialistic, mumbly, rich, scared, sexist, 'trap', unpretentious, woozy, and wrong. Almost a decade in, I do enjoy and even respect the fella. But I don't admire him. Not enough there there".[15]

Year-end lists

edit
Select year-end rankings of So Much Fun
Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard 50 Best Albums of 2019
43
Complex Best Albums of 2019
4
Noisey The 100 Best Albums of 2019
71
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2019
18
20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019
2
Stereogum Best Albums of 2019
25
The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2019
6
Uproxx The Best Albums of 2019
3
The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019
1

Industry awards

edit
Awards and nominations for So Much Fun
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2020 Billboard Music Awards Top Rap Album Nominated

Commercial performance

edit

So Much Fun debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 131,000 album-equivalent units (including 5,000 pure album sales). It is Young Thug's first US number-one album, and fifth to place in the top 10 (or sixth, if the 2018 compilation Slime Language is counted).[36] On June 29, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units in the United States.[37]

Track listing

edit
So Much Fun track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Just How It Is"3:27
2."Sup Mate" (featuring Future)3:58
3."Ecstasy" (featuring Machine Gun Kelly)
  • DY
  • 12Hunna
2:58
4."Hot" (featuring Gunna)
Wheezy3:13
5."Light It Up"
Pi'erre Bourne3:29
6."Surf" (featuring Gunna)
  • J. Williams
  • Kitchens
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne3:04
7."Bad Bad Bad" (featuring Lil Baby)
  • Wheezy
  • Nils
2:29
8."Lil Baby"
  • J. Williams
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne3:22
9."What's the Move" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert)
  • BLSSD
  • Chef
4:11
10."I Bought Her" (featuring Lil Duke)
3:22
11."Jumped Out the Window"
  • J. Williams
  • Jonathan Priester
Supah Mario3:24
12."I'm Scared" (featuring 21 Savage and Doe Boy)Pi'erre Bourne3:21
13."Cartier Gucci Scarf" (featuring Lil Duke)
  • J. Williams
  • Martinez
  • Richard DeBerry
  • Jonoah Pressley
  • Jayrich Laplaya
  • Prezzley P
3:18
14."Big Tipper" (featuring Lil Keed)
3:43
15."Pussy"
  • J. Williams
  • Luellen
  • Kedrick Cannady
  • Southside
  • Pyrex
2:21
16."Circle of Bosses" (featuring Quavo)
  • Wheezy
  • Nils
2:59
17."Mannequin Challenge" (featuring Juice Wrld)T-Minus2:42
18."Boy Back" (featuring Nav)
3:23
19."The London" (featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott)T-Minus3:20
Total length:62:04
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Diamonds" (featuring Gunna)
  • J. Williams
  • Kitchens
  • Jenks
Pi'erre Bourne3:30
2."Hop Off a Jet" (featuring Travis Scott)
2:54
3."Die Today"
  • J. Williams
  • Glass
  • Mohkom Bhangal
  • Wheezy
  • Money Musik
3:00
4."Millions"
  • J. Williams
  • Glass
  • Makalo
  • Wheezy
  • Makalo
2:37
5."Hot" (Remix) (featuring Gunna and Travis Scott)
  • J. Williams
  • Kitchens
  • Webster
  • Glass
Wheezy4:39
Total length:78:48

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • Machine Gun Kelly's vocals were added to the track "Ecstasy" as part of a reissue on August 22, 2019.[38]

Personnel

edit

Credits adapted from Geoff Ogunlesi's Instagram.[39][40]

  • A. Bainz – recording (tracks 1–7, 10, 12–18), mixing (tracks 1–18)
  • Florian "Flo" Ongonga – recording (tracks 2, 8, 11, 12, 17)
  • Fxxxy – recording (track 2)
  • Jenso "JP" Plymouth – recording (track 3)
  • Shaan Singh – recording (tracks 9, 13, 16), engineering assistant (track 10), mixing (tracks 1–18), engineering (track 19)
  • Andrew "Pro Logic" Franklin – recording (track 18)
  • Gosha Usov – recording (track 19)
  • Alex Tumay – mixing (tracks 1–19)
  • Jimmy Cash – additional mixing (track 19)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering (tracks 1–19)

Charts

edit

Certifications

edit
Certifications and sales for So Much Fun
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[67] Gold 40,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[68] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

edit
Release dates and formats for So Much Fun
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Edition Ref.
Various August 16, 2019 Standard [70]
December 20, 2019 Deluxe [71]
May 2021 Vinyl Standard [72]

References

edit
  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug, Transmitting Live From The Astral Plane". Stereogum. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Saponara, Michael (March 29, 2019). "J. Cole to Executive Produce Young Thug's Next Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Giulione, Bianca (April 1, 2019). "J. Cole to Executive Produce Young Thug's New Album". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Callas, Brad (August 8, 2019). "Everything We Know About Young Thug's Next Solo Album". Complex. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. ^ "Young Thug Changes Upcoming Album Title". HotNewHipHop. July 19, 2019. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Young Thug Announces 'So Much Fun' Release Date". Rap-Up. August 10, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (December 19, 2019). "Young Thug Drops 'So Much Fun' Deluxe Album f/ New Tracks With Travis Scott and Gunna". Complex. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Holmes, Charles (May 23, 2019). "J. Cole Steals Show Next to Young Thug and Travis Scott on 'The London'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Hot (Remix) [feat. Gunna and Travis Scott] – Single by Young Thug". Apple Music. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  11. ^ Fu, Eddie; Hill, Till; Abad, Russel (September 10, 2019). "How 803 Young Thugs Came Together For The 'So Much Fun' Cover". Genius. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "So Much Fun by Young Thug reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  13. ^ a b "So Much Fun by Young Thug Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Thomas, Fred. "So Much Fun – Young Thug". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (March 11, 2020). "Consumer Guide: March, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Shanker, Lucy (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug – So Much Fun". Consequence. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Glaysher, Scott (September 1, 2019). "Young Thug So Much Fun Album Review". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (August 19, 2019). "Young Thug – 'So Much Fun' review". NME. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Pierre, Alphonse (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug: So Much Fun Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  20. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (August 22, 2019). "Young Thug: So Much Fun (album review)". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Juon, Steve "Flash" (August 20, 2019). "Young Thug :: So Much Fun". RapReviews. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Schwartz, Danny (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Has a Good Time Without Taking Any Risks on 'So Much Fun'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  23. ^ Heinzl, Jeff (August 25, 2019). "Young Thug: So Much Fun". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  24. ^ Carey, Jacob (August 19, 2019). "Young Thug So Much Fun". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  25. ^ Cush, Andy (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug's 'So Much Fun': Review". Spin. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  26. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2019; Staff Picks". Billboard. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "Best Albums of 2019: Top Music Albums of the Year". Complex. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  28. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Noisey. December 12, 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  29. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2019". Rolling Stone. December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  30. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan; Holmes, Charles; Leight, Elias (December 30, 2019). "20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  31. ^ "Best Albums of 2019". Stereogum. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  32. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 10, 2019). "The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2019". Stereogum. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  33. ^ "The Best Albums of 2019; Ranked". Uproxx. December 2, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  34. ^ Williams, Aaron (December 4, 2019). "The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019". Uproxx. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  35. ^ Atkinson, Katie (October 14, 2020). "2020 Billboard Music Awards Winners: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  36. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 25, 2019). "Young Thug Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'So Much Fun'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  37. ^ a b "American album certifications – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  38. ^ Cush, Andy (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Tainted a Perfectly Good So Much Fun Song With a New Machine Gun Kelly Verse". Spin. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  39. ^ Ogunlesi, Geoff (August 24, 2019). "SO MUCH FUN OFFICIAL CREDITS: ..." Instagram. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  40. ^ Ogunlesi, Geoff (May 23, 2019). "@thuggerthugger1 @realcoleworld @travisscott. ..." Instagram. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  41. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  42. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Young Thug – So Much Fun" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  43. ^ "Ultratop.be – Young Thug – So Much Fun" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  44. ^ "Ultratop.be – Young Thug – So Much Fun" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  45. ^ "Young Thug Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  46. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  47. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Young Thug – So Much Fun" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  48. ^ "Young Thug: So Much Fun" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  49. ^ "Lescharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  50. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Young Thug – So Much Fun" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  51. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Young Thug". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  52. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  53. ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 34. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  54. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 26, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  55. ^ "Charts.nz – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  56. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  57. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  58. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  59. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  60. ^ "Young Thug Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  61. ^ "Young Thug Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  62. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  63. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  64. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  65. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  66. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  67. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Young Thug – So Much Fun". Music Canada. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  68. ^ "Danish album certifications – Young Thug – So Much Fun". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  69. ^ "British album certifications – Young Thug – So Much Fun". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  70. ^ Burks, Tosten (August 16, 2019). "Young Thug's New Album 'So Much Fun': Stream". Spin. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  71. ^ Marie, Erika (December 20, 2019). "Young Thug Shares "So Much Fun (Deluxe)" With Five Additional Songs". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  72. ^ "Freddie Gibbs, Young Thug and Nappy Roots Albums Coming To VMP Hip-Hop". Vinyl Me, Please. March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.