Punk
| Young Thug
Punk
Punk is the second studio album by American rapper Young Thug. It was released on October 15, 2021, through YSL Records and is distributed by Atlantic Records and 300 Entertainment. The album contains guest appearances from Strick, J. Cole, T-Shyne, Gunna, Future, BSlime, Juice Wrld, Post Malone, ASAP Rocky, Lil Double 0, Drake, Travis Scott, Doja Cat, Nate Ruess, Jeff Bhasker, and Mac Miller. The production on the album was handled by a variety of record producers, including T-Minus, Metro Boomin, Kanye West, Pi'erre Bourne, Wheezy, Oz, Louis Bell, and Watt, among others. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
While Young Thug’s creative choices after about 2015 have had little sway over emerging trends, Punk suggests that the space he now occupies is one that allows him more room to experiment.
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Rolling Stone
While it doesn’t have the standout moments of some of his previous albums, the rapper’s latest LP is a vibrant collection from one of music’s truest eccentrics.
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Hot New HipHop
PUNK, Young Thug’s second studio album, is not a “punk” album. It’s a presentation of his evolution as an artist, and as a person. From blunt smoke wafting over Italian waters on “Die Slow” to the soft-spoken, Mac Miller-assisted “Day Before,” PUNK puts lyrical content in front of sonic creativity.
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Vulture
Young Thug’s Punk Rebirth Isn’t Quite That.
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Treblezine
All things considered, Punk feels like a transitional record, a bit of a tease, while still being the most substantial glimpse we’ve gotten into who Jeffery Lamar Williams really is. It may not be his Blonde, but it suggests that he has it in him.
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NME
a flawless stylistic about-turn from a truly modern great.
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Riff Magazine
Punk delivers an artistic shakeup that listeners both new and old should enjoy, with enough of the classic stylings that have made Young Thug a trap staple.
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The Ringer
The Atlanta rapper’s new album is full of smooth and effective pop songcraft that doesn’t sacrifice much of the weirdness that first popularized him.
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UMKC Roo News
While “Punk,” is a strange title for this particular album, it almost seems as if Thug purposefully chose this name to lead listeners astray from what they had been expecting and remind them that he is still the ultimate enigma.
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The Line of Best Fit
Punk is an interesting ride, but it’s far from Young Thug’s greatest.
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The Arts Desk
Different eras of Young Thug come together nicely on long-awaited new album.
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The Tangerine
For fans who prefer trap at its roots, this may not be the project for you. Outside of those fans, there is a large population of people who prefer this new age style of trap that has become popular and commercial, giving way to many new artists who have gained immense success through their abandonment of creativity and the idea of a cohesive album. For those fans, go stream Punk right now.
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ACRN
Young Thug’s Punk is not that bad, but it definitely doesn’t reach the sonic highs that were present in his previous works like JEFFERY or Barter 6. Culturally speaking, the album will likely be forgotten pretty soon, as it’s lacking in the experimentation that was present in some of Thug’s older work and doesn’t contain much in the way of huge hits. Overall, Punk comes off as a filler album and a disappointing step in his career.
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Clash Magazine
To many fans, Young Thug’s sound and approach will remain defined by his ‘Slime Language’ mixtape, and its potent follow up. Yet ‘PUNK’ is perhaps just as strong as those illustrious releases, while affording its maker space for precision. Impactful and often unexpected, ‘PUNK’ breaks new ground within Young Thug’s identity.
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Ratings Game Music
I’m not sure if diehard Young Thug fans will f**k with Punk. If I were to guess, the songs in which he experimented heavily will grow on folks, while the songs in which he did his usual s**t probably won’t move folks as much. What I do think is that the album will set in stone that Thugger is more than just a trap rapper that likes to go rogue every once in a while; he’s an artist with hip-hop roots that paints Picasso-Esque pictures that are somewhat enjoyably difficult to understand.
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Focus Hip Hop
The majority of the beats are really underwhelming, and there’s a surprising lack of memorable hooks on this album. I definitely appreciate Young Thug for trying something new, but I unfortunately just don’t care for this style. I’m sure his fans will be satisfied, but I was hoping for a Trap album, and that’s not really what this is. I’m generally pretty averse to Pop Rap, so that’s probably why this album didn’t click for me, but I wouldn’t say that it’s bad at all. There are only a couple songs on here that I would say are genuinely wack. Most of the content here is just very middling to me. The album is mediocre in my opinion.
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tastemakers
Bookended by its two most emotionally impactful tracks, it is clear that Young Thug had a profound vision with Punk. It is a shame to see so much misdirected filler clogging the flow from one high point to another, but Thugger is undeniably on to something with the melodic introspection guiding Punk’s standout cuts. As an incredibly talented and versatile artist, all he needs is some serious focus — and far fewer features — to pull together a tighter, more cohesive project of this style in the future.
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Fantastic Hip Hop
Despite its bloated tracklist, lousy pacing, and overall messiness, Punk is still a good addition to Young Thug’s catalog as it doesn’t just expand his artistic arsenal but also opens up the door for a new era of sound for the Atlanta trapper. The album’s poor presentation definitely makes sitting through the entire hour’s worth of material frustrating, but its peak moments make the experience worth the time. Overall, Punk may not be the album of the year candidate many of us hoped for, but it is a major step for the future of Thug’s career and the trap genre as a whole.
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The Lifestyle
I am pleasantly surprised at the versatility that is on this album.
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Burbs Entertainment
There are incredibly high points and fairly low points on the project, which is to be anticipated with most Thug projects, but he hasn’t been able to find the same consistency that he did in 2015 with Barter 6. I’m not knocking him for trying new things; I’m just disappointed with the execution of it as someone who holds Thug in the highest regard of hip-hop contributors.
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Hardwood and Hollywood
Compared to expectations, this is considered somewhat disappointing. None of the high-end features really blew away their opportunity either, other than, maybe Travis Scott. But there are a lot of solid tracks throughout, just nothing that really moves the needle for Thugger as an artist. It’ll be fascinating to see what’s next for Young Thug as he is always heavily involved in other projects while keeping his style and production as versatile as possible.
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The Highlander
Young Thug does not disappoint with his second epic, ‘Punk’.
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The Quinnipac Chronicle
Young Thug delivers a melodic masterpiece with ‘Punk’.
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Uproxx
Young Thug Isn’t Quite A ‘Punk’ On His Latest, But Offers Up Some Of His Most Compelling Music Yet.
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Beat
With his classic “baby” voice and skillful lyricism along with his genre-blending, Young Thug creates one of the best rap albums of the year.
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In Review Online
Punk is a jumbled, inconsistent mess, and the latest misstep from a once-great artist to now regularly makes them.
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AllMusic
Punk is relatively odd for an album that debuted at number one on the charts, sneaking some of Young Thug's inherent eccentricity in among its more commercially viable moments.
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The Needle Drop
After the promising first leg, it's as if everyone working on Punk forgets its direction.
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