Slime Season

Background

Slime Season was compiled from archival material in an attempt to circumvent a series of 2015 data leaks which saw hundreds of unreleased Young Thug tracks uploaded to the internet. The material may date back at least one year. The mixtape received a sequel, Slime Season 2, which was released the following month. Slime Season 3 was released in 2016. The title pays homage to Ola Playa, a rapper from Young Thug's YSL Gang who released his own Slime Season mixtape in March 2014.

Critical reception

Slime Season received positive reviews from critics, with an aggregate score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic. Under the Gun called it "an abstract masterwork" and "2015's hip-hop answer to jamming sonic psychedelia. Pitchfork Media called the mixtape "an odds-and-ends compilation with no coherent vision," but wrote that "Thug remains one of hip-hop's most exciting stylists" and pointed out the tracks "Freaky," "Draw Down," and "Wood Would" as highlights. Consequence of Sound stated that "Slime Season finds Thugger mastering new conduits to express his idiosyncrasies in addition to spreading like marmalade over familiar territory," noting that "his work is constantly rooted in improvisation, an inherently thrilling concept that’s embedded itself in black music." Spin Magazine stated that "this is simply rap’s foremost stylist mouthing off ferociously on all cylinders."