Young Thug
Rap's Newest Disruptor
(Young Thug, pictured above, wearing a dress
he has said he picked out in the little girl's isle.)
In almost every business, industry, and artform there are companies or individuals who are considered Disruptors. There are many definitions of industry Disruptors but I'll only list a few; Disruptors cause radical change in their industry or field by introducing a new way of thinking or approach that no one has seen before. While most people in business, industry, and entertainment are going right, Disruptors go completely left and open up new lanes.
Rap at times can be a misogynistic, competitive, and monolithic artform full of redundancies and artist following trends. If not for artist like Kanye West who is not only a disruptor but innovator pushing the artform to heights rap would mostly be a bunch misogynistic or bouncy club anthems, songs propitiating violence, or the typical tells about the struggle of the hood. As spectators we know that urban culture in general can take whatever is hot or what's trending and completely wear it out. We've seen it done with clothing, accessories, cars, slang & lingo. If an artist raps about True Religion Jeans, Nike's, cars, etc then urban culture follows and as a result we all typically look, act, and behave the same just to fit in or be cool.
The exception to the rule lately has been rapper Young Thug. What brought Thugger to the light initially was the music, he was another dominate Atlanta artist who took over the airwaves with about a dozen hits & street anthems. Currently he is one of the most sought after feature artist in rap music at the moment and his momentum hasn't slowed. But what makes him a Disruptor is often what he does outside of the music. Compared to most rappers is brand and personality is uncanny, off-beat, hard to understand, and disturbing to most.
In the often pseudo macho, misogynistic, and homophobic industry that is rap music, Young Thug often calls his MALE friends & collaborators 'bae', 'hubby', or 'husband'. When men use these terms in reference to other males the connotation is that you're homosexual or bi-sexual but Thugger professes he's neither, and even has children and a girlfriend! This bold use of such terms makes him a Disruptor in a culture that rejects homosexuality. The controversy doesn't stop there, Young Thug as proudly admitted to wearing a little girls dress with jeans, an even bolder fashion statement than the infamous Kanye West kilt he wore in Chicago during the "Watch The Throne" tour. And his strange and aloof interviews about current social issues don't help rap fans and critics alike understand his brand or message.
Currently his latest controversy is the trolling and agitation of one of rap music biggest stars, lil Wayne. One of the greatest rap album volumes is lil Wayne's "Tha Carter" franchise. Lil Wayne has halted on the release of the of "Tha Carter VI" because of legal & money issues with his former label Cash Money. What does this have to do with Young Thug? Well Thugger is currently affiliated with Cash Money label head Birdman, they've even recorded a mixtape together. So to make matters worse between lil Wayne and Birdman & Cash Money Young Thug has decided to name his first album "Tha Carter VI", completely stealing one of the greatest rappers ever final album title! This trolling move has infuriated lil Wayne fans across the world but Young Thug still sits atop of the rap charts.
For all his controversy, trolling, and agitating his music blasts in on almost every radio station and club across the country! Young Thug is the epitome of an industry Disruptor, now I don't believe he's an innovator or even will be hot for long, he's turned the typical perception & image of a 'rapper' on its head. Rap fans and critics are split about Thugger but the fact is he has everyone's attention and as the old saying goes, "Controversy Sells". He's also exposed the rampant homophobia in the black community and amongst rap fans. His instagram comments are littered with homophobic rants, insults, hatred, and even threats. Whether you like Young Thug or not we all know it takes a lot of bravery and boldness to be yourself and different in the entertainment industry and in America in general. This boldness and willingness to go left while everyone else is going right and be successful while doing it makes Thugger rap's new Disruptor.
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