Wearing dresses on album covers, fusing trap with country way before Old Town Road existed, and delivering nutty puns in a half-rapped, half-sung flow, Atlanta’s Young Thug has taught a new generation of rappers how to blow up without sacrificing their individuality.
The artist’s rushed set – he is clearly holding back ahead of his appearance at the Wireless festival this weekend – is nevertheless filled with reminders of why he is so highly thought of. “Open up the mosh pit!” he instructs before launching into street anthem With That, spitting bars that reference Sonic the Hedgehog and washing-up detergent with real vigour. He smiles as chaos ensues, with one man’s hat flying into the abyss. Euphoric banger Wyclef Jean prompts even bigger singalongs, and Thug assumes a rockstar demeanour as he bounces across the stage.
Yet he frustrates as much as he entertains. His vocal delivery, which fluctuates between hyper-animated and just plain bored, leaves you wondering whether he is having the time of his life or just going through the motions. The fact that his performance comes to an abrupt end just a few seconds into latest single, The London, is also disappointing. You sense he is the kind of artist who enjoys experimenting in the studio more than on the stage, the latter feeling more like work than pleasure.
It is energetic opening act Megan Thee Stallion who leaves the bigger impression. The rising female rapper from Houston unleashes turbocharged twerking that inspires high-pitched screams from her many female admirers. By the time the blunted synths of her empowering sex bop Big Ol’Freak ring out, the crowd is eating out of the palm of her hand.
