Young Nudy: undeservingly underrated.
photo retrieved from Spotify.
Young Nudy is one of the most underrated artists in the trap scene right now. While he is known for his prolific output, many of his releases go under the radar, even to dedicated hip-hop fans. By no means a stranger to the game, he first came onto the scene in 2015 under the wing of 21 Savage, his cousin by blood. His 2016 mixtape Slimeball garnered him more fame. The zany production of Pi'erre Bourne and the downright threatening, bloodthirsty content in Nudy's lyrics proved to be a perfect match. Furthermore, Nudy is majorly inspired by Gucci Mane. The lazy flow and detached approach to murderous bars proves that Guwop has his hand all over the Atlanta trap scene. Also, he takes a horrorcore approach to a lot of his albums. In this way, he's a lot like his older cousin 21 Savage, while also eccentric and playful in his own way.
Nudy is well known for naming his songs after food. Some of his biggest hits include "Loaded Baked Potato" and "Sunflower Seeds." Fans quickly coalesced around this idea and proclaimed that every song Nudy made that was titled after food would be a banger. It was only a matter of time before Nudy created a whole album about food. His music is a cross between imitation and cold-blooded reality. The way he raps about "breaking in this bitch like a KitKat" constantly has listeners questioning if he's joking or being serious, perfectly toeing the line between zealous murderer and goofy, theatrical cartoonish nonsense. His monotone voice can be surprisingly emotive, but it also conveys a sense of detachment from the crimes he laments about, making his threats all the more villainous. There is very little room for regret in his music.
Nudy's 2022 album, EA Monster, was lauded as one of his most creative works yet. That album also saw the production front split between in-house producer Coupe and famed Pi'erre Bourne, as well as a few more food songs like "KitKat" and "Lunch Meat." His projects are increasingly becoming more focused and cohesive, which further upped the expectations for his newest releases. For instance, 2021's DR. EV4L saw him playing the role of a circus master in an evil funhouse. Nudy opens that album with the ominous sound of thunder and rain, proving he knows how to set the mood for the depressing, macabre experiences his music walks us through. For this reason, his music often plays more like a short film than the overstuffed tracklists of his contemporaries.
Nudy's 2023 album Gumbo is certainly concise, coming in at a lean 13 tracks. It is another trophy in the golden lineup that has defined Nudy's career so far. Nudy has become famous for releasing on days other than New Music Friday, proving that the allure of running up first week sales means nothing to him. To no one's surprise, Gumbo was released on February 28, 2023: a Tuesday. Gumbo is also distinct because its production credits show that Nudy is moving away from working with Pi'erre Bourne and instead with up-and-coming producer Coupe. 9 of the 13 songs on the project are helmed by him, with the exception of "Pot Roast," "Shrimp," "Duck Meat," and "Hot Grease." Nudy's previous songs with Coupe have proven to be some of his best, including standouts like "Blue Cheese Salad" and "Child's Play." Pi'erre only provides a singular beat for the project, credited on "Pot Roast." Nudy's ear for beats is simply insane: he is known to choose the wackiest and most off-kilter beats that stand out and challenge the idea of what trap beats are supposed to be. To date, his beats have incorporated meowsynths, piano renditions of Mozart, and bass hits panned hard to one channel: just a few components that would make your average trap listener turn away.
Gumbo (2023) album cover.
Gumbo can best be described as trap's MM.. FOOD, with each song providing a concoction of flavors. All the food titles can be found on the cover like a game of I Spy..., and the song titles are loosely tied to the songs' themes as well. For instance, "Portabella" espouses the psychedelic beauty of taking shrooms over reverberating, airy chords, while "Passion Fruit" sees Nudy crooning to an unnamed lover. The provocatively-titled "Peaches & Eggplants" sees the two Atlanta cousins sharing the stage to talk about women, while Nudy also experiments with some explosive "BOAH BOAH BOAH" vocatives that sound equal parts ridiculous and hard. Hence, the culinary theming is more than just a gimmick: it serves as a lens through which to view the grit and trauma of growing up in East Atlanta.
"Brussel Sprout” is a soft, understated melancholic appetizer for Nudy's meal. After this, he serves you breakfast with the banger "Pancake," featuring a hard thrumming bass and a menacing synth line that sounds straight out of a video game soundtrack. "Pot Roast" features vocal contributions from Memphis trapper Key Glock. The two are a synergistic pairing, both delivering aggressive flows and lyrics over a summery-sounding accordion beat from Pi'erre Bourne. "McChicken" is as fat and as fulfilling as its title suggests, with a thick bassline driving the banger. Evident through the McDonalds titling, Nudy's sense of humor creeps through his music and even into the very titling of his tracks, conveying subtlety that isn't very well known amongst his contemporaries. Nudy's ability to concoct catchy flows and choruses comes into focus as he adjusts his attitude to his warped beats. He takes a mafioso approach on the luxurious "Shrimp," proclaiming himself “Don Dada” over some modulating synths which give the impression of serenading violins at a fine banquet. "Okra" is a hardcore banger where he brags about being “real king Slimeball, the king of the hill.” Nudy amazingly comes off as being the big boss even though he’s referencing a children’s game. He comes off as genuinely elated on "Fish and Chips," even as he threatens to "smoke his bitch-ass while I'm rappin', bitch, no problem," sounding as if he has an ear-splitting smile while he says it. "Fish & Chips" has a very similar sounding synth melody to fan favorite "Pissy Pamper," and is one of the best examples of his rapping prowess on the project. Gumbo, like its title suggests, is a melting pot of sounds and styles, all of which Nudy can tackle with ease.
Nudy is one of the most authentic artists in the music industry, never jumping on trends and always working with underground producers. It perhaps is for this reason that his releases are so infrequently touted as album of the year quality when everyone who listens to them loves them unconditionally. In hip hop, authenticity and staying true to where you came from is praised by many listeners. Lyrical darlings like Denzel Curry and JID get a lot of praise, but I think people find it a bit hard to believe the same level of artistry exists in the trap scene. Even an aforementioned feature on Gumbo, Key Glock, suffers from this perspective, despite releasing several high quality albums in the 2020s decade. Perhaps trap is so stagnant as a subgenre because the listeners don't actively seek out distinct quality from it. But that's just my theory on why Young Nudy's popularity doesn't match his quality. He’s extremely underrated, undeservingly so.
edited by Kaleigh Perez.
photo retrieved from Spotify.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.