YGTUT - “Bootleggers”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…D.R.A.M., Joey Purp, Big K.R.I.T.

Coming out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, YGTUT brings a combination of serious and fun on his latest EP I.O.U., rapping over thick, funk-infused trap beats with relaxed confidence. Steeped in classic Southern rap and new psych-rap modes, YGTUT is out front on I.O.U., emitting soul in his melodies nicely matching the jazzy grooves of tracks like “Goodnight” and “Too Hard”. The latter moves around quick-spitted raps and tensed back rhythms before digging into a throwback R&B chorus, a reflective representation of YGTUT’s tight, core sound. “Big Poppa” takes that jazz/bass-beat combination further with a saxophone line forming the lounge anchor for YGTUT to weave a bouncing, memorable track that sounds as big as anything in his catalog. He’s been at it since 2015 mixtape Preacher’s Son, a more spacious and hazy effort that eschews the pop gravity of I.O.U., a different side of the artist that informs YGTUT’s latest single “Bootleggers”, a track that takes a hypnotic melody and twists it into a vibe that’s half old school rap and half heady bass groove. (Kevin McStravick)