VMP Magazine

Photo by Richard Martin

A victory lap is a phrase used in rap to describe a song or album that exudes triumph. More often than not, the victory lap comes after years of songs, albums, mixtapes, features and tours. This moment of celebration is earned. A well-deserved exhale. Allowing the artist to reflect on their journey and all the storms they weathered.

So Much Fun by Young Thug is both his 2019 debut album and his 19-track victory lap, a rare duality that only a few artists in this era of hip-hop newcomers have successfully combined. Released August 16, the same day as his 28th birthday, the Atlanta-born rapper made an album of anthems throughout the 62 minutes perfect for a party.

Atlanta rappers Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and André “André 3000” Benjamin, best known as the Southern hip-hop duo OutKast, did not appear as disruptors of reality, or deities of pop culture on the cover of their fourth studio album, Stankonia. Big Boi, who stands with a lean, wears a plain white T-shirt, a diamond-encrusted ‘DF’ necklace, and the mug of a man who reveals nothing, not even his teeth. André, who stands upright, has no shirt, posing with his mouth slightly ajar, arms stretched forward, and fingers spread wide as if a pianist or puppeteer.

Behind them, in a monochrome shade of black and white, is an inverted American flag. Unlike the cover art for their 1998 third studio album, Aquemini, which reimagined the two rap stars as radiant mystics, Stankonia strips away vibrancy and comic book illustration for subtle imagery. The stillness of their stances fails to encapsulate how the 24-song, 74-minute magnum opus doesn’t stop moving. Every second detonates with explosive verses, earworm hooks, and barrier-breaking production. Undoubtedly, OutKast at their most extreme.