Why Young Dro’s New Mixtape Is a Brutal Beauty, Plus 4 Others to Download This Month

Noisey editor Drew Millard presents five mixtapes to cop right now.

Gucci Mane and Young Thug, Young Thugga Mane La Flare

This edition of the greatest and best mixtapes of the past few weeks or so is evidently brought to you by a whole lot of trappin-ass rappers who literally do not care if they make money from music because they have a gazillion dollars from drug money. At least, that’s the conceit that these guys would have you believe.

ANYHOO, Young Thug and Gucci Mane formed like a wobbly, word-drunk Voltron last summer to make a mixtape, and the results are finally here (Gucci Mane is currently incarcerated, which is all kinds of frowny-faced Emojis). If you’re a fan of either Gucci or Thugger then you already know what this will sound like (loopy drug talk, flows that only make sense if they’re coming from Young Thug or Gucci Mane), but the best thing about Young Thugga Mane La Flare is the song titles, which if I didn’t know better were made up by my kind editors at BroBible. They inclue “OMG BRO,” “YAY,” “Stoner 2 Times,” and, of course, good ol’ “OMG.” This is a mixtape for butt-chugging Mollywater while your bros chant you on, and then fighting someone.

Young Dro – Purple Label

Young Dro is gangster rap reimagined as a luxury brand. The Atlanta rapper has always been a bit too tough, a bit too lyrical, a bit too abjectly strange for widespread success, but his penchant for the extreme—screamed, rapid-fire verses, beats strong enough to rattle your head—has earned him a devoted following amongst rap fans who could give less of a fuck about a pop appeal. Though probably less accessible than last July’s Day Two—which featured “Fuck Dat Bitch,” probably the closest Dro’s come to a mainstream hit since being given a verse on Rich Kids’ “My Patna Dem”—Purple Label is Dro’s take on the sci-fi dystopian sound currently taking Atlanta over, and it’s beautiful in its AutoTuned menace. Young Dro also rules because he’s weirdly obsessed with Polo shit, so for maximum impact you should drape yourself in Big Pony apparel while listening to this.

Kolley – Real N—ga Shit

Hailing from Lousiana, the previously-unknown Kolley has managed to put together a ridiculously stacked debut mixtape, featuring beats from Big K.R.I.T., Zaytoven, Bobby Johnson, and Metro Boomin (the dude who made Young Thug’s “The Blanguage” as well as Future and Kanye West’s “I Won”). The tape is great, mainly because the beats are pretty much perfect and Kolley’s voice sounds really cool. But more importantly than that, LOOK AT THAT MIXTAPE COVER IT’S SO TIGHT BRUH, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN ASS TWERK IN GIF FORM ISN’T THAT SO SICK FAM.

Murphy Lee – No I.D.

What’s that? A wild Murphy Lee has appeared? OH SHIT THE FUCKIN DUDE FROM THE ST. LUNATICS WHO WASN’T NELLY OR THE GUY WHO WORE THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA MASK PUT OUT A MIXTAPE. This isn’t that great—there’s too much singing, and not enough Nelly guest verses although shout out to the magnificent “Pimp C” for featuring not just Nelly but the entire St. Lunatics AYYYYY. But it does give me an opportunity to embed the below video of Murphy Lee and Kyjuan of the St. Lunatics cooking vegan food on a local news show. 

Smoke DZA & 183rd – Ringside 2

More than even a rapper like Curren$y or Devin the Dude, Smoke DZA is a rapper “about” weed. I really like to imagine him and all his friends wearing sweatpants, sitting Indian-style on the floor of his room, smoking weed while DZA complains about how he’s always pigeonholed as a “weed-rapper.” If I were there I’d get all aggy on him on some “YO SMOKE DZA THE WORD ‘SMOKE’ IS IN YOUR NAME HOW ELSE ARE PEOPLE GONNA INTERPRET YOU HOMIE????” and then find a mic, drop the mic, and vacate the premises. But whatever, Ringside 2 is part of DZA’s campaign to remind people that not only does he love weed, he also loves professional wrestling. Ringside 2 finds the heavily underrated producer 183rd flipping various wrestlers’ entrance songs and DZA rapping over them, and his verses are only SORT OF about weed.

Drew Millard is Features Editor for Vice‘s music channel, NoiseyFollow him on Twitter.