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Punk (Young Thug album)

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"Day Before" redirects here. For other uses, see The Day Before (disambiguation).

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, Post Malone, ASAP Rocky, Lil Double 0, Drake, Travis Scott, Doja Cat, Nate Ruess, Jeff Bhasker, alongside the late Juice Wrld 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.

Punk
Studio album by
Young Thug
ReleasedOctober 15, 2021 (2021-10-15)
Recorded2018–2021[1][2]
Length62:50
Label
Producer
Young Thug chronology
Slime Language 2
(2021) 		Punk
(2021) 		Business Is Business
(2023)
Singles from Punk
  1. "Bubbly"
    Released: November 2, 2021

Punk received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. The album was supported by the single "Bubbly". It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 90,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

Background and release

In an interview about recording his debut studio album, So Much Fun (2019), Young Thug told The Fader that he wanted to release a follow-up album in the "upcoming weeks". In contrast to his debut, which he described as a "lighthearted work", Punk would be more personal and introspective. He implied that the new album was "touching" and interpreted the meaning of Punk as "brave, not self centered, conscious, very, very neglected, very misunderstood, very patient, very authentic".[3][4] He said the album would reflect "real rap".[5][6][7]

On July 27, 2021, Thug featured on an NPR Tiny Desk home concert, where he performed four new songs and teased an October 15 release date for the album, as seen on the back of his t-shirt.[8] More promotion for Punk is a video published on October 13, 2021, of Thug smashing a $320,000 Rolls-Royce with the word "punk" painted on it in pink.[9]

Following Punk’s release, Thug stated during his appearance on The Breakfast Club that his track "Day Before" with Mac Miller was recorded on the day before Miller's death on September 7, 2018.[1][2]

Singles

"Bubbly", a collaboration with fellow rappers Drake and Travis Scott, which was sent to US rhythmic radio on November 2, 2021.[10] The song peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
The Arts Desk     [14]
Clash8/10[15]
HipHopDX4.0/5[16]
The Line of Best Fit6/10[17]
NME     [18]
Pitchfork7.1/10[19]
Rolling Stone     [20]

Punk 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 78, based on six reviews.[12]

Kyann-Sian Williams of NME praised the album, stating, "Featuring a masterpiece of a collaboration with the late, great Mac Miller, this hugely inventive second studio album proves Thugger's all-time greatness".[18] Paul A. Thompson from Pitchfork enjoyed the album, saying, "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".[19] Robin Murray of Clash said, "Impactful and often unexpected, PUNK breaks new ground within Young Thug's identity".[15] Rolling Stone critic Jeff Ihaza said, "With his latest album, you get the feeling that these are songs Thug needed to get off of his chest. While not a dazzling record, it opens a door to exciting opportunities".[20] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated, "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".[13]

Armon Sadler of HipHopDX said, "With Punk, Thugger continues to expand his game to the point of reaching true limitlessness; he's like a young, athletic slasher in basketball who expands his repertoire to become well-rounded and achieve longevity in the sport".[16] In a lukewarm review, The Line of Best Fit's Leo Culp wrote, "Punk will likely not be remembered as a great Young Thug album, but we should appreciate that we get to hear him tinker with his sound for when he finally puts it all together again".[17] Writing for The Arts Desk, Harry Thorfinn-George stated, "There are countless rappers who use a similar melodic flow, but none that can so effortlessly find hidden melodies in every beat".[14]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Punk
Publication List Rank Ref.
Complex The Best Albums of 2021
31
[21]
Crack Magazine The Top 50 Albums of the Year
46
[22]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2021
45
[23]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2021
29
[24]
The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2021
12
[25]

Commercial performance

Punk debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 90,000 album-equivalent units (including 12,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[26] This became Thug's third US number one debut on the chart.[26] The album also accumulated a total of 102 million on-demand streams of the album's songs.[26] In its second week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning an additional 34,000 units.[27]

In South Africa, nine songs from the album debuted within the top 100 on The Official Charts South Africa (TOSAC), in the week ending October 28, 2021. This became a new record on the chart.[28]

Track listing

Punk track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Die Slow" (with Strick)
Charlie Handsome3:57
2."Stressed" (with J. Cole and T-Shyne)
  • T-Minus
  • Tommy Parker
  • Wu10
  • Kacey Khaliel
3:40
3."Stupid/Asking"
  • J. Williams
  • Leland Wayne
  • Vojtesak
  • Taurus Currie, Jr.
  • Benjamin Ibrahimovic
  • Crater
  • Alexander Izquierdo
  • Rocky Block
5:33
4."Recognize Real" (with Gunna)
Charlie Handsome2:51
5."Contagious"
2:30
6."Peepin Out the Window" (with Future and BSlime)
  • Baby Plugg
  • Ayo Deni
  • Don
3:57
7."Rich Nigga Shit" (with Juice Wrld)
2:57
8."Livin It Up" (with Post Malone and ASAP Rocky)
  • Charlie Handsome
  • ASAP Rocky
3:30
9."Yea Yea Yea"
  • J. Williams
  • Wesley Glass
  • Vojtesak
  • Masamune Kudo
  • Christopher Miller
  • Wheezy
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Rex Kudo
  • Hitmaka Millz
2:24
10."Insure My Wrist" (with Gunna)
  • J. Williams
  • Kitchens
  • Currie
  • DecayOnTheBeat
  • Alec
  • Taurus
  • DecayOnTheBeat
  • Alec
2:48
11."Scoliosis" (with Lil Double 0)
  • J. Williams
  • Tyreke Rogers
  • Konstatinos Latos
  • Zachary Mullett
  • Nuki
  • Kuttabeatz
2:50
12."Bubbly" (with Drake and Travis Scott)
  • Wheezy
  • Cardo
  • Dez Wright
  • Yung Exclusive
  • Juliano
  • Mu Lean
2:45
13."Road Rage"
  • J. Williams
  • Currie
  • Ismo Kari
  • Taurus
  • Smo
2:32
14."Faces"
  • Wheezy
  • Momberger
  • Lee Major
2:12
15."Droppin Jewels"
  • Turbo
  • Pro Logic
  • K-Notes
  • Ghetto Guitar
3:38
16."Fifth Day Dead"
2:30
17."Icy Hot" (with Doja Cat)
Wheezy3:36
18."Love You More" (with Nate Ruess, Gunna, and Jeff Bhasker)
  • Ruess
  • Bhasker
  • Metro Boomin
3:41
19."Hate the Game"
  • J. Williams
  • Bell
  • Wotman
  • Bell
  • Watt
2:44
20."Day Before" (with Mac Miller)
2:15
Total length:62:50

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b Gallagher, Alex (October 21, 2021). "Young Thug says Mac Miller collaboration 'Day Before' was recorded one day before Miller's death". NME. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Woods, Aleia (October 19, 2021). "Young Thug Reveals He and Mac Miller Recorded "Day Before" Song the Day Before Mac Died". XXL. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  3. ^ Burks, Tosten (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Wants to Release His New Album Punk Next Month". Spin. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Ross, Alex Robert (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug says he plans to drop new album Punk "in two months"". The Fader. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Ivey, Justin (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Promises Return Of "Real Rap" On Forthcoming "Punk" Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Saponara, Michael (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Announces New Album 'Punk'". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Cowen, Trace William (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Teases Introspective 'So Much Fun' Follow-Up Project 'Punk'". Complex. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  8. ^ Cowen, Trace William (July 27, 2021). "Watch Young Thug's 'Tiny Desk (Home) Concert' f/ Travis Barker". Complex. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Young Thug Destroys Rolls-Royce to Promote 'Punk' Album". Rap-Up. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "A Recap of Radio Add Recaps". Hits. November 2, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Punk by Young Thug Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Punk – Young Thug". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Thorfinn-George, Harry (October 18, 2021). "Album: Young Thug – Punk". The Arts Desk. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Murray, Robin (October 15, 2021). "Young Thug – Punk". Clash. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Sadler, Armon (December 23, 2021). "Young Thug 'Punk' Is An Intimate Potluck With Excess Leftovers". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Culp, Leo (October 21, 2021). "Punk is an interesting ride, but it's far from Young Thug's greatest". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (October 15, 2021). "Young Thug – 'Punk' review: a flawless stylistic about-turn from a truly modern great". NME. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Thompson, Paul A. (October 21, 2021). "Young Thug: Punk Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Ihaza, Jeff (October 22, 2021). "Young Thug Stays Consistently Brilliant Without Blowing Our Minds on 'Punk'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  21. ^ Rose, Jordan (December 1, 2021). "The Best Albums of 2021". Complex. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Cook, Cameron. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Williams, Kyann-Siann (December 10, 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". NME. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  24. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (December 3, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (December 15, 2021). "The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (October 24, 2021). "Young Thug's 'Punk' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  27. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 31, 2021). "Drake's 'Certified Lover Boy' Rebounds for Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  28. ^ "TOSAC". The Official Charts South Africa. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Young Thug – Punk". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Young Thug – Punk" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
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  40. ^ "2021 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
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  42. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Young Thug – Punk". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
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  46. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  47. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
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  49. ^ "Young Thug Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  50. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
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