After several months barren of lots of exciting music, Young Thug and his label members put out the expansive and spicy Slime Language 2 on April 16.

This new addition follows up the 2018 record Slime Language, a decent effort with a handful of memorable moments and tracks. Although intended to show attention to and elevate smaller and upcoming artists on his label YSL, Young Thug’s starpower and presence are too apparent for him to not steal the show. In fact, most of the more weaker parts from Slime Language come from these more unknown artists. Much like its predecessor, Slime Language 2 shows Thug at the head of the table, only this time one with more seats and having Gunna at his right hand even more frequently.

The prospect of this record has been floating around for a bit now, with many fans suspecting it was going to drop on Black Friday of last year. However, some months later, those very fans are finally getting it. Also, it’s important to note this is Thug’s first work since last year’s collaboration with Chris Brown, Slime & B. Many listeners are still anticipating the follow up to 2019’s mighty So Much Fun–but this will have to do until then.  

Slime Language 2 kicks off with the chaotic and catchy “Slatty (feat. Yak Gotti & Lil Duke),” one of the best moments the collection has to offer. The intro is classic Young Thug, as he raps with one of his signature animated styles, swerving from verses to the hook while also passing the spotlight to the two features and Gunna. Yak Gotti delivers a good enough appearance, but Lil Duke holds down the final verse much better than his preceding partner. The second tune “Ski” finds the dynamic duo of Thug and Gunna reaffirming their chemistry. While “Ski” specifically doesn’t bring anything new to the table, especially compared to “Diamonds” and “Surf” from So Much Fun (Deluxe), it’s still an all around good song.

“Diamonds Dancing” again showcases the artistic connection between Thugger and Gunna. Then, Travis Scott hops on the song. Although it isn’t bad by any means, it runs together with other miscellaneous Travis features like “Hot (Remix),” which includes this very lineup of rappers and even a similar lead in to Travis’ part–not to mention familiar flows and adlibs. Other than this minor mishap, at this point in the album, YSL Records is three for three. 

The fourth track would have to try very hard to ruin the streak that the LP is going on, mostly because it features Drake. Fumbling a song with Drake is like messing up a peanut butter sandwich. However, any lull on “Solid” isn’t the fault of any of the YSL members who contributed. Though Drake slides onto the beat and offers a smooth hook, the verse he garbles shortly after isn’t among his greatest guest appearances. A similar sentiment can be said about Lil Uzi Vert, who makes “Proud Of You” easily one of the project’s most memorable tunes of the compilation.

More notable moments from outside artists include Rowdy Rebel doing his thing on the triumphant “Came and Saw,” Skepta’s reign continuing on “WokStar,” and even NAV exemplifying undisputable improvement on “Pots N Pans.” Lil Baby once again proves his consistency on “Paid The Fine,” only for it to be somewhat soiled when YTB Trench sings a rather unflattering chorus. The SUPER SLIMEY duo of Future and Young Thug reunite on the ridiculous yet infectious “Superstar”–the hook of which is as painstakingly elementary as it is unforgettable.  

At 23 tracks long, Slime Language 2’s second half doesn’t quite live up to its steady start. “Como Te Llama” is so repetitive that it never needs more than one listen; it’s only redeeming quality is the verse. “GFU” and “That Go!” dropped as singles earlier in the year and don’t stand out any more than most of the other songs. “Moon Man” is a decent addition, but the Kid Cudi feature lacks most of the typical energy and identity of a Cudi co-write.  

Although there are some exceptional YSL member parts, most fans don’t go into an album like this looking for the newcomers and smaller artists– they direct their attention to the Drake, Travis Scott, and Future contributions. Artists of that caliber, along with Young Thug and Gunna, are what make these projects worthwhile. Still, label members like Lil Duke, Strick, Karlae, Unfoonk and others provide some satisfactory work. 

The most impressive aspect of Slime Language 2 is Young Thug and Gunna’s abilities–both together and apart. As the two flex their talents, their dependability proves why there are no better YSL artists to spearhead this project. Gunna’s presence definitely helped to boost Slime Language 2’s quality compared to its 2018 counterpart. Overall, this album is a mixture of some misses but many hits that’ll only age well heading into summer.