Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

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Young Jeezy is not the first rapper to turn the lifestyle of the dope dealer into a lavish panorama — Scarface, Notorious B.I.G. and JAŸ-Z all examined the crack trade from multiple viewpoints — but the key to <i>Thug Motivation 101</i> isn’t its content but its delivery. The album becomes a paean to wealth and success not only through Jeezy’s couplets and chanted choruses, but through the monstrous beats provided by master producers like Shawty Redd, Drumma Boy, and Mannie Fresh. “Standing Ovation,” “Gangsta Music” and “Get Ya Mind Right” are tidal waves of sound that embody the notion of success at any cost. The songs engulf the listener in Jeezy’s ethos, and whether or not you are willing, the album forcefully indoctrinates its participants into the way of the trap. It might not be the most technically complex rap album, but <i>Thug Motivation 101</i> has a rare unity of vision. The theme here is relentless determination, and Jeezy’s ideology doesn’t stick it in your ear so much as detonates throughout your entire body.

via Apple Music