Jeffery (mixtape)

Jeffery (originally titled No, My Name is Jeffery) is the fourth commercial mixtape by American rapper Young Thug. It was released for retail purchase on August 26, 2016, by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Quavo, Offset, and Wyclef Jean. It also features production from TM88, Wheezy, and Young Thug himself (credited as his first name/album namesake Jeffery).

Jeffery
Mixtape by Young Thug
Released	August 26, 2016 (2016-08-26)
Genre	Hip hop trap pop psychedelic rap^[1]
Length	42:15
Label	300 Atlantic
Producer	Billboard Hitmakers Cassius Jay Goose Jeffery Supah Mario TM88 Wheezy
Young Thug chronology
Slime Season 3 (2016) Jeffery (2016) Beautiful Thugger Girls (2017)
Singles from Jeffery
"Pick Up the Phone" Released: June 3, 2016 "Wyclef Jean" Released: January 24, 2017

Jeffery charted at number eight on the US Billboard 200, and received widespread acclaim from critics. Its artwork, which features Young Thug in a dress, went viral. The mixtape was named among the best releases of 2016 by several publications, including Pitchfork, Fact, Complex, and Rolling Stone.

Background

Jeffery was announced on July 9, 2016, via Young Thug's Instagram, along with previews of new music.^[2] It was initially slated for release on August 16, coinciding with Young Thug's birthday, but was pushed back.^[3] The mixtape was accompanied by his decision to abandon the stage name Young Thug in favor of the new moniker No, My Name is Jeffery, or simply his birth name Jeffery.^[4] The change of stage name was announced by his manager Lyor Cohen in the preparation for the mixtape's release.^[4] According to Young Thug, "Jeffery is all about Jeffery. It ain't even about Young Thug. Ain't no Young Thug songs on there. The mixtape is a straight crossover".^[5] On Beats 1, he clarified that the name change was only for one week, unless the mixtape sold 100,000 copies.^[6]

With the exception of "Pick Up the Phone", each track was named after one of Young Thug's idols, including Gucci Mane ("Guwop"), Wyclef Jean ("Wyclef Jean"), Rihanna ("RiRi"), Future ("Future Swag"), Harambe, the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo in May 2016, and Kanye West ("Kanye West").^[7]

Artwork

The project artwork features Young Thug in an androgynous dress designed by Italian designer Alessandro Trincone, and was photographed by Garfield Lamond.^[8] The artwork went viral and prompted a wide range of responses on social media.^[9]

Release and promotion

The song "Kanye West" (originally titled "Elton" and then later "Pop Man") featuring Wyclef Jean, was released on August 19, 2016.^[10] The mixtape release was then preceded by a short album trailer released on August 23, which depicted Young Thug being interrogated about his name by the authorities.^[3]

The mixtape's lead single, "Pick Up the Phone" featuring American rappers Travis Scott and Quavo, was released on June 3, 2016,^[11] the song peaked at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[12] "Wyclef Jean" was sent to urban contemporary radio on January 24, 2017, as the mixtape's second single,^[13] it peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.4/10^[14]
Metacritic	82/100^[15]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[16]
Exclaim!	8/10^[17]
The Guardian	^[18]
HipHopDX	3.9/5^[19]
Now	4/5^[20]
Pitchfork	8.5/10^[7]
PopMatters	8/10^[21]
Rolling Stone	^[22]
Vice (Expert Witness)	A−^[23]
XXL	3/5^[24]

Jeffery was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an average score of 82, based on 11 reviews.^[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[14]

AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung called the mixtape "thrilling and essential, one of the best rap releases of 2016", writing that "there's enough freshness here to make it his most exciting and mainstream release to date".^[16] Daniel Bromfield from Pretty Much Amazing described it as "a more satisfying major-label rap album than most mixtape-bred rappers ever make", asserting that "despite being more extreme in many ways than his prior work, Jeffery is his poppiest tape since 2014's Tha Tour with Rich Gang".^[25] PopMatters critic Brian Duricy stated that "as a collection of songs, it's his most realized set to date".^[21] Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen stated that "it's Thug's own sound that predominates: the heroic howls, rasps, mumbles and wheezes of a man who is as captivating a vocalist as any in pop".^[22]

For MTV News, Meaghan Garvey wrote that "Jeffery, like ATLiens 20 years prior, has that unqualifiable, absolute feeling of arrival", describing it as "irrepressible, bursting with uncannily memorable one-liners and dynamic experiments in flow and cadence over beats that, attached to a more easily marketable rapper, could be obvious radio hits".^[26] Pitchfork's Sheldon Pearce described it as "rangy and stunning, an exciting new curve in the fascinating Young Thug arc", stating that "Thug understands the modern pop song construction better than anyone: anything and everything can be a hook".^[7] Robert Christgau wrote in Vice that Young Thug "makes black comedy out of irrepressible sound", stating that "his hoohoos and melismas and blahs and mwas and frogcroaks and put-puts are the message".^[23] In a less enthusiastic review, Lanre Bakare of The Guardian described it as "a mixtape that features gems among run-of-the-mill trap fodder" while praising the single "Pick Up the Phone" as "an example of all the things Young Thug excels at coming together on one track".^[18]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Jeffery

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Complex	The 50 Best Albums of 2016	13	^[27]
Consequence	Top 50 Albums of 2016	45	^[28]
Entertainment Weekly	The 50 Best Albums of 2016	36	^[29]
Fact	The 50 Best Albums of 2016	19	^[30]
The Guardian	The Best Albums of 2016	25	^[31]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2016	21	^[32]
PopMatters	The 70 Best Albums of 2016	54	^[33]
Rolling Stone	50 Best Albums of 2016	10	^[34]
Spin	The 50 Best Albums of 2016	17	^[35]
Variance	50 Best Albums of 2016	29	^[36]

Commercial performance

Jeffery debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with 37,000 album-equivalent units and sold 18,000 copies in its first week.^[37][38] This is Thug's third debut in the top 40 and his second in the top 10.^[37]

Track listing

Jeffery track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Wyclef Jean"	Jeffery Williams Larry Griffin Jr. Christopher Thornton Diondria Thornton Jonathan Priester	TM88 Supah Mario	3:56
2.	"Floyd Mayweather" (featuring Travis Scott, Gucci Mane and Gunna)	Williams Jacques Webster II Radric Davis Sergio Kitchens Wesley Glass Bryan Simmons Eduardo Burgess Jonathan De La Rosa Devante Wilkes	Jeffery Wheezy TM88 Billboard Hitmakers Goose	6:01
3.	"Swizz Beatz"	Williams Glass	Wheezy	3:16
4.	"Future Swag"	Williams Simmons	TM88	2:45
5.	"RiRi"	Williams Burgess De La Rosa	Billboard Hitmakers	4:04
6.	"Guwop" (featuring Quavo, Offset and Young Scooter)	Williams Quavious Marshall Kiari Cephus Kenneth Bailey Glass Josh Cross Simmons	Wheezy Cassius Jay TM88	5:15
7.	"Harambe"	Williams Burgess De La Rosa	Billboard Hitmakers	3:10
8.	"Webbie" (featuring Lil Duke)	Williams Arnold Martinez Burgess De La Rosa	Billboard Hitmakers	3:55
9.	"Kanye West" (featuring Wyclef Jean)	Williams Wyclef Jean Glass	Wheezy Cassius Jay	5:41

Bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
10.	"Pick Up the Phone" (with Travis Scott featuring Quavo)	Williams Webster Marshall Brittany Hazzard Allen Ritter Anderson Hernandez Adam Feeney Mike Dean	Ritter Vinylz Frank Dukes Maneesh Bidaye Mick Schultz Dean	4:12
Total length:				42:15

Notes

• "Kanye West" was formerly known as "Pop Man"^[39]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the mixtape's liner notes and Tidal.^[40][41]

Musicians

• Young Thug^[a] – vocals (all tracks), programming (2)
• TM88 – programming (1, 2, 4, 6)
• Supah Mario – programming (1)
• Billboard Hitmakers – programming (2, 5, 7, 8)
• Goose – programming (2)
• Wheezy – programming (2, 3, 6, 9)
• Cassius Jay – programming (6, 9)

Technical

• Young Thug^[a] – executive producer
• Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer
• Alexander Tumay – mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart performance for Jeffery Chart (2016) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[42] 191 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[43] 77 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[44] 19 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[45] 54 French Albums (SNEP)^[46] 131 New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)^[47] 5 UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[48] 23 US Billboard 200^[49] 8 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[38] 5

Year-end charts 2016 year-end chart performance for Jeffery Chart (2016) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[50] 95

References

Footnotes

1. Credited both as Young Thug and his birth name, Jeffrey Williams.

Citations

1. Bromfield, Daniel (June 6, 2018). "Ski Mask the Slump God: Beware the Book of Eli". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
2. Smith, Trevor (July 9, 2016). "Young Thug's "Jeffery" Mixtape Is on the Way". HotNewHipHop. from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
3. Goddard, Kevin (August 22, 2016). "Young Thug Announces Release Date For "Jeffery"". HotNewHipHop. from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
4. Shipley, Al. "Young Thug's New Moniker Is Just Another Entry in the Long History of Changing Rap Names". Complex. from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
5. P, Mr. "Young Thug drops new mixtape, No, My Name Is JEFFERY". Tiny Mix Tapes. from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
6. King, Eric. "Young Thug Will Keep His Name Change for a Week Unless He Sells 100,000 Mixtapes". Billboard. from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
7. Pearce, Sheldon (September 1, 2016). "Young Thug: JEFFERY". Pitchfork. from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
8. Wolf, Cameron. "This Is the Story Behind Young Thug's 'Jeffery' Dress". Complex. from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
9. Jones, Jaleesa M. "Twitter is having a ball with Young Thug's 'Jeffery' cover art". USA Today. from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
10. Lilah, Rose (August 19, 2016). "Young Thug – Elton Feat. Wyclef Jean (Prod. By Wheezy & Cassius Jay)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
11. Goddard, Kevin (June 3, 2016). "Travis Scott – Pick Up The Phone Feat. Young Thug & Quavo (Prod. By Vinylz)". HotNewHipHop. from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
12. "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
13. . All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
14. "Jeffery by Young Thug reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
15. "Reviews for JEFFERY [Mixtape] by Young Thug". Metacritic. from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
16. Yeung, Neil Z. "JEFFERY – Young Thug". AllMusic. from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
17. Dart, Chris (September 6, 2016). "Young Thug: Jeffery". Exclaim!. from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
18. Bakare, Lanre (August 31, 2016). "Young Thug: Jeffery review – inconsistent but worth persevering". The Guardian. from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
19. Chintaluri, Narsimha (August 31, 2016). "Young Thug – Jeffery Review". HipHopDX. from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
20. Ritchie, Kevin (September 21, 2016). "Young Thug plays the name game on Jeffery". Now. from the original on November 1, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
21. Duricy, Brian (September 1, 2016). "Young Thug: No, My Name Is JEFFERY". PopMatters. from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
22. Rosen, Jody (September 12, 2016). "Review: Young Thug's 'Jeffery' May Be Rapper's Strongest in Years". Rolling Stone. from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
23. Christgau, Robert (September 9, 2016). "'Prima Donna' and Young Thug's Name Is Actually Jeffery: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
24. Glaysher, Scott (August 31, 2016). . XXL. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
25. Bromfield, Daniel. "Young Thug: JEFFERY". Pretty Much Amazing. from the original on September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
26. Garvey, Meaghan. "YOUNG THUG'S JEFFERY IS THE MASTERPIECE WE NEVER SAW COMING". MTV News. from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
27. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Complex. December 5, 2016. from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
28. "Top 50 Albums of 2016". Consequence. November 27, 2016. from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
29. "The 50 best albums of 2016". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
30. "The 50 best albums of 2016". Fact. from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
31. "The Best Albums of 2016". The Guardian. November 30, 2016. from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
32. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
33. "The 70 Best Albums of 2016". PopMatters. from the original on December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
34. "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. November 30, 2016. from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
35. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Spin. December 12, 2016. from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
36. "50 Best Albums of 2016". Variance. from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
37. Mendizabal, Amaya (September 9, 2016). "Young Thug's 'Jeffery' Is His Third Top 5 on Top Rap Albums in 2016". Billboard. from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
38. "Young Thug Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
39. Smith, Trevor (August 27, 2016). "Young Thug's Pop Man renamed "Kanye West" on itunes". The Fader. from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
40. Jeffery (Vinyl liner notes). Young Thug. 300 and Atlantic. 2016. 66302-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
41. "Credits / JEFFERY / Young Thug". Tidal. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
42. "Ultratop.be – Young Thug – Jeffery" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
43. "Ultratop.be – Young Thug – Jeffery" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
44. "Young Thug Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
45. "Dutchcharts.nl – Young Thug – Jeffery" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
46. "Lescharts.com – Young Thug – Jeffery". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
47. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 5, 2016. from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
48. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
49. "Young Thug Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
50. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.