During his brief career, the Atlanta rapper Young Nudy has managed to stay both versatile and consistent. His demented, hypnotic rhymes, full of violence and drugs, initially made him seem a kindred spirit to his cousin 21 Savage. But just as 21 Savage has broadened his appeal, Nudy has also pushed against the borders of his trap sound. He might not boast the flash or obvious eccentricities of his peers, but the rapper born Quantavious Thomas is quietly one of the more unique artists to emerge from his city in years.
His first tape, Paradise City, appeared in 2014, but his ascendance began in earnest in 2016 with his Slimeball series. Last year, he made his biggest splash yet with the feature-free surprise mixtape Faded In The Booth and Sli’merre, his collaborative project with producer wunderkind Pi’erre Bourne. The chemistry between Nudy and Pi’erre proved electric, and his new project Anyways expands on that mixtape’s jubilant bounce with some of the darker subject matter of his early work.
Young Nudy's taste for experimental production helps distinguish him. The dreamy, cartoonish beat for “Blue Cheese Salad” and the stoned stupor of “A Nudy Story” add unexpected shades to Nudy’s villain mystique, while “Cap Dem” sounds like it was made for Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y rather than a trap artist. These counter-intuitive choices might be off-putting to those who prefer a murkier atmosphere with their street raps, but they keep his music feeling nimble and surprising.
It helps that he raps his ass off. Anyways might be Nudy’s best technical performance, both in the variety of his flows and the calmness with which he croaks them out. On “No Go,” he manages to make giving directions to his frequent East Atlanta hangouts sound exciting. His rhymes bristle with energy, confidence, and vivid imagery (“Yellow tape surrounding you and your team/ I’m Majin Buu with the smoke, I blow the steam” he says on “Deeper Than Rap”). The trance-like quality of the production on the album lures you in, but Nudy’s commanding presence keeps you there.
Anyways likely won’t drastically alter the arc of Nudy’s career or skyrocket him to success. It’s a quality street-rap record, one that should please his fans and maybe convert a few interested parties. But there’s something undeniable about the devotion with which he chisels away at his craft, like a sculptor obsessing over the curves and crevices of his work. He might never hit superstardom like some of his peers, but he keeps finding something worthwhile to say, and surprising ways to say it.
