Yung Gravy - Marvelous (2022)
The Marvelous Mr. Gravy
Yung Gravy is one of those artists that wouldn't have made it without Soundcloud/TikTok and the internet writ large. The flow has always been corny, heavy-handed and above all hilarious, something baby boomer record execs shy away from. (especially when they already have Drake, the Cornball-In-Chief.) Gravy's funny side has always masked some serious creative chops and they really peak out on Marvelous, undoubtedly his best work to date. The retro grandeur of 50's big band that's sampled throughout is a perfect pair for Gravy's voice and it only highlights the absurd irreverence of his verses. And sure, he's done that kind of sampling since Snow Cougar, but his deliberate choices on Marvelous just feel more carefully-selected and less meme-y.
Make no mistake, Gravy is still hilarious on here. "Call that bitch Kim Jong Un how she brainwashin'" is a personal favorite. Actually Run Me my Money might be the most fun on the album; it's Gravy at his most MILF-loving classic self, he's got this natural comfort bc of course he does, he's in his element. He's kinda the most millennial/gen-z rapper you could imagine, soiree! has a joke about unsubscribing after a free trial, which you, me, and everyone our age has done. (But not our parents; they're still trying to figure out the remote for the smart TV). The lead single Betty samples Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, which means you're getting Rick-Rolled if you wanna hear it. He interpolates a whole song out of a 15-second vocal riff from Spongebob for christ's sake.
So gravy is still a meme rapper, but he's a meme rapper starting to mature and grow up, even if a lot of that is in his beats. There's no getting around the reality Gravy sounds good on a piano track, songs like soiree! gives him more weight and credibility, like a more comedic, sexier version of Denzel Curry's Ultimate. Marvelous kinda becomes a slog in the middle. You really could skip a lot of this album and just hit the highlights in soiree!, Betty, Run Me My Money and Hot Tub.
Speaking of Hot Tub, talk about a creative coup for Gravy! Dillon Francis puts the perfect spin on the retro sound so instrumental to Marvelous, and it's got those perfect harmonies that T-Pain pulls up to the next level. There is, by the way, not a better feature on this beat than T-Pain, him and Francis are huge "gets" for Gravy. And if the whole album sounded as good as Hot Tub, Marvelous would be a serious contender for Album of The Year. Gravy is pushing up against the bounds of 'comedy rap' and making some seriously good music; there really isn't a stronger moment for that argument than this track. Gravy could very easily be on the cutting edge of hip-hop's future, but he has a tough balancing act in making music that's this good but not losing the comical chops that make his music so much fun. 7/10