So Much Fun
studio
CoverYoung Thug - So Much Fun.png
ArtistYoung Thug
ReleasedAugust 16, 2019
Studio
Genre
Length62:04
Label
Producer
Prev year2018
Next year2020

So Much Fun is the debut studio album by American rapper Young Thug. It was released on August 16, 2019, by YSL Records, 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Future, Machine Gun Kelly, Gunna, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Duke, 21 Savage, Doe Boy, Lil Keed, Quavo, Juice Wrld, Nav, J. Cole, and Travis Scott. The album was supported by the singles "The London" and "Hot".

So Much Fun received generally positive reviews and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, becoming Young Thug's first US number-one album.

Production

American musician J. Cole was originally rumored, without any official confirmation from Cole nor Thug, to serve as the executive producer on the album, but his contributions did not make it to the final album.[2][3] Among others, for the album Thug worked with Roddy Ricch, 21 Savage, and Gunna in recording sessions for the album.[4]

Release and promotion

So Much Fun was originally titled GOLDMOUFDOG (stylized as GØŁDMØÜFDÖG) before Young Thug revealed the new title in an interview with podcast host Adam22 for his No Jumper channel.[5] Thug also announced the album's title had been changed on social media.[4] On August 10, 2019, Thug announced the album would be released on August 16.[6] The deluxe edition of the album was released on December 20, 2019, featuring five new tracks: "Diamonds", "Hop Off a Jet", "Die Today", "Millions", and the remix of "Hot".[7]

Singles

The album's lead single, "The London" featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott, was released on May 23, 2019.[8] The song was produced by T-Minus.[8] It peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[9] The second single, "Hot" featuring Gunna, was released in a remix additionally featuring Travis Scott on October 31, 2019.[10] It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9]

Artwork

The album's artwork features 803 images of Young Thug posed in order to form Young Thug's face.[11]

Critical reception

So Much Fun 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 79, based on 10 reviews.[12] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[13]

Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork gave a positive review, stating "Despite all the collaborations on So Much Fun, the album is about Young Thug. He might not mystify as he did in the early stages of his career, when he was stumbling into new flows and deliveries at an inhuman pace, but now he's able to wield the madness with ease, satisfying in many modes".[14] Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX wrote that "Thugger has performed vocally like this before on Jeffrey, lyrically like this on Slime Season and emotionally like this on Beautiful Thugger Girls but not consistently have they all converged together like this, forging the ultimate Young Thug Voltron. Plus, this top-notch performance has been spread across such perfectly paced beats. Quite literally, the production on this album is just a blast".[15] Jacob Carey of Exclaim! said, "Although it may not be the best project that Young Thug has released, certain tracks off So Much Fun are guaranteed to become classic party anthems played at max volume for years".[16] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME stated, "So Much Fun is a free-spirited record that comes with heavy doses of ridiculousness, but it's lovably silly, and is a welcome dose of light relief".[17] Lucy Shanker of Consequence claimed, "So Much Fun succeeds in its quest to highlight the success of Young Thug; almost all of the 19 tracks could stand alone as a strong demonstration of what Thug does best, but they also work together to create a cohesive project".[18] Magazine publication Spin said, "Some classic records have been made in this mold; plenty of dull ones, too. So Much Fun is somewhere in the middle, with a handful of legitimately great songs, only a couple you may end up skipping, and none that sound like someone forgot to send them to the mastering engineer".[19]

Rolling Stones critic Danny Schwartz said, "So Much Fun doesn't mark a step forward for his aesthetic, but rather an attempt to refine it".[20] In a mixed review, RapReviewss Steve "Flash" Juon stated: "You can't examine Young Thug's music too closely or think about it too carefully if you want to enjoy it, because the casual misogyny of throwing around "Pussy" as an insult reminds you he's not exactly progressive. If you're looking for bass to shake the concrete and singing so modulated as to nearly be R&B, tracks like "Jumped Out the Window" and "Boy Back" featuring NAV will definitely fit the bill."[21] In his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau said that, "In alphabetical order, it's alienated, all-embracing, catchy, complacent, crass, dirty, dissolute, facile, fucked up, funny, hedonistic, insular, licentious, light-hearted, materialistic, mumbly, rich, scared, sexist, 'trap', unpretentious, woozy, and wrong. Almost a decade in, I do enjoy and even respect the fella. But I don't admire him. Not enough there there".[22]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of So Much Fun
PublicationListRankRef.
Billboard50 Best Albums of 2019
43
[23]
ComplexBest Albums of 2019
4
[24]
NoiseyThe 100 Best Albums of 2019
71
[25]
Rolling Stone50 Best Albums of 2019
18
[26]
20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019
2
[27]
StereogumBest Albums of 2019
25
[28]
The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2019
6
[29]
UproxxThe Best Albums of 2019
3
[30]
The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019
1
[31]

Industry awards

Awards and nominations for So Much Fun
YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2020Billboard Music AwardsTop Rap Album
[32]

Commercial performance

So Much Fun debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 131,000 album-equivalent units (including 5,000 pure album sales). It is Young Thug's first US number-one album, and fifth to place in the top 10 (or sixth, if the 2018 compilation Slime Language is counted).[33] On June 29, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units in the United States.[34]

Track listing

Notes

  • signifies an additional producer
  • Machine Gun Kelly's vocals were added to the track "Ecstasy" as part of a reissue on August 22, 2019.[35]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Geoff Ogunlesi's Instagram.[36][37]

  • A. Bainz – recording (tracks 1–7, 10, 12–18), mixing (tracks 1–18)
  • Florian "Flo" Ongonga – recording (tracks 2, 8, 11, 12, 17)
  • Fxxxy – recording (track 2)
  • Jenso "JP" Plymouth – recording (track 3)
  • Shaan Singh – recording (tracks 9, 13, 16), engineering assistant (track 10), mixing (tracks 1–18), engineering (track 19)
  • Andrew "Pro Logic" Franklin – recording (track 18)
  • Gosha Usov – recording (track 19)
  • Alex Tumay – mixing (tracks 1–19)
  • Jimmy Cash – additional mixing (track 19)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering (tracks 1–19)

Charts

Weekly charts

2019 chart performance for So Much Fun
Chart (2019)Peak
position
Latvian Albums (LAIPA)[38]11
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[39]7
2025 chart performance for So Much Fun
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[40]191

Year-end charts

2019 year-end chart performance for So Much Fun
Chart (2019)Position
US Billboard 200[41]48
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[42]23
2020 year-end chart performance for So Much Fun
Chart (2020)Position
US Billboard 200[43]38
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[44]24
2021 year-end chart performance for So Much Fun
Chart (2021)Position
US Billboard 200[45]194

Release history

Release dates and formats for So Much Fun
RegionDateLabel(s)Format(s)EditionRef.
VariousAugust 16, 2019YSL · 300 · AtlanticDigital download · streamingStandard[46]
December 20, 2019Deluxe[47]
May 2021VinylStandard[48]

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug, Transmitting Live From The Astral Plane". Stereogum. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Saponara, Michael (March 29, 2019). "J. Cole to Executive Produce Young Thug's Next Album". Billboard. Archived July 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Giulione, Bianca (April 1, 2019). "J. Cole to Executive Produce Young Thug's New Album". Highsnobiety. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  4. ^ Callas, Brad (August 8, 2019). "Everything We Know About Young Thug's Next Solo Album". Complex. Archived August 10, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. ^ "Young Thug Changes Upcoming Album Title". HotNewHipHop. July 19, 2019. Archived July 19, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Young Thug Announces 'So Much Fun' Release Date". Rap-Up. August 10, 2019. Archived August 12, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (December 19, 2019). "Young Thug Drops 'So Much Fun' Deluxe Album f/ New Tracks With Travis Scott and Gunna". Complex. Archived December 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Holmes, Charles (May 23, 2019). "J. Cole Steals Show Next to Young Thug and Travis Scott on 'The London'". Rolling Stone. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  9. ^ "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Hot (Remix) [feat. Gunna and Travis Scott] – Single by Young Thug". Apple Music. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  11. ^ Fu, Eddie; Hill, Till; Abad, Russel (September 10, 2019). "How 803 Young Thugs Came Together For The 'So Much Fun' Cover". Genius. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "So Much Fun by Young Thug Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  13. ^ "So Much Fun by Young Thug reviews". AnyDecentMusic? Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  14. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug: So Much Fun Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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  20. ^ Schwartz, Danny (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Has a Good Time Without Taking Any Risks on 'So Much Fun'". Rolling Stone. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  21. ^ Juon, Steve "Flash" (August 20, 2019). "Young Thug :: So Much Fun". RapReviews. Archived September 17, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  22. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 11, 2020). "Consumer Guide: March, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Archived May 13, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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  24. ^ "Best Albums of 2019: Top Music Albums of the Year". Complex. December 3, 2019. Archived December 3, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Noisey. December 12, 2019. Archived December 12, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  26. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2019". Rolling Stone. December 5, 2019. Archived December 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  27. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan; Holmes, Charles; Leight, Elias (December 30, 2019). "20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  28. ^ "Best Albums of 2019". Stereogum. December 3, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  29. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 10, 2019). "The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2019". Stereogum. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  30. ^ "The Best Albums of 2019; Ranked". Uproxx. December 2, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  31. ^ Williams, Aaron (December 4, 2019). "The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019". Uproxx. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  32. ^ Atkinson, Katie (October 14, 2020). "2020 Billboard Music Awards Winners: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  33. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 25, 2019). "Young Thug Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'So Much Fun'". Billboard. Archived December 14, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  34. ^ RIAA
  35. ^ Cush, Andy (August 21, 2019). "Young Thug Tainted a Perfectly Good So Much Fun Song With a New Machine Gun Kelly Verse". Spin. Archived September 14, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  36. ^ Ogunlesi, Geoff (August 24, 2019). "SO MUCH FUN OFFICIAL CREDITS: ...". Instagram. Archived January 19, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  37. ^ Ogunlesi, Geoff (May 23, 2019). "@thuggerthugger1 @realcoleworld @travisscott. ...". Instagram. Archived January 19, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  38. ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 34. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived October 10, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  39. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 26, 2019. Archived October 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  40. ^ "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 37 de 2025" (in pt-pt). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  41. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived February 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  42. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived December 5, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
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  44. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  45. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  46. ^ Burks, Tosten (August 16, 2019). "Young Thug's New Album 'So Much Fun': Stream". Spin. Archived August 19, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  47. ^ Marie, Erika (December 20, 2019). "Young Thug Shares "So Much Fun (Deluxe)" With Five Additional Songs". HotNewHipHop. Archived March 4, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  48. ^ "Freddie Gibbs, Young Thug and Nappy Roots Albums Coming To VMP Hip-Hop". Vinyl Me, Please. March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.