Young Thug drops 'Slime Language 3' as a surprise double album - and YSL is not the same label it used to be
A 41-track, two-hour YSL compilation landed with no warning late Friday, featuring Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Future, and Yeat. The music is divisive. The moment is undeniable.
In brief
Young Thug drops 'Slime Language 3' as a surprise double album - and YSL is not the same label it used to be
Nobody got a press release. No countdown timer. No carefully engineered rollout. Late Friday night, August 28, Young Thug and YSL Records just put it out.
Slime Language 3 is a 41-track double album, running well over two hours. According to Billboard, the project includes appearances from Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Future, Yeat, Trippie Redd, Cash Cobain, and Veeze, among others. It is a lot of music. Whether that's a feature or a bug depends on who you ask.
The album was released through the label and Create Music Group on August 28, 2026. It is the final installment of the Slime Language album trilogy, following the first in 2018 and its sequel in 2021. That context matters enormously here, because the years between SL2 and this one were not quiet years for Young Thug - they were the years of a RICO indictment, a sprawling gang conspiracy trial, and the public unraveling of YSL as the world knew it.
What's actually on this album
Among the YSL veterans and newer signees across the two-disc set: Lil Keed, diamond*, Tezzus, Pz', Sk8star, 1300SAINT, Yung Kayo, Biggs, iyrus, Yume, Lil Unky, Unfoonk and more, per Billboard. That list of names tells you a lot. Lil Keed, who died in 2022, appears on a project for the first time since his passing. According to Wikipedia, this is the first project released by YSL since Lil Keed's death.
The album also arrives after Gunna's departure from YSL in 2025, following a falling-out with Thug connected to the racketeering trial. That split kept Gunna off the album entirely - a loud absence on a compilation that otherwise throws the kitchen sink at you.
So who does show up? The headline grab is a track with Young Thug, Future, Travis Scott, and Yeat all on the same song. Billboard's tracks-ranked piece calls the combination a theoretical slam dunk, but notes that "a lot of these verses feel mailed-in and half-hearted." Thug, Tezzus, and Yeat reportedly go hardest on the cut, while Travis Scott "wasn't needed" and Future "sounds bored," in Billboard's assessment.
Fan reaction has been split. Listeners on Album of the Year have called out the bloated runtime, with one user writing that the album has "WAY too many tracks, and MAYBE 3 of the tracks stand out." Others are more charitable. One reviewer on the same site called it "pretty okay," noting it "had some bangers" and that "the feature list was stacked."
Why this moment is bigger than a track list
The thing that makes Slime Language 3 genuinely significant in September 2026 is not the music itself - it's what the release is trying to do. The idea for the project first surfaced publicly on May 16, 2026, when YSL signee 1300Saint mentioned it during an appearance on PlaqueBoyMax's livestream. From that moment to a surprise Friday-night drop took roughly three months. For a label that spent years entangled in federal court, that speed signals something: YSL is trying to move forward.
The Slime Language series has grown in commercial impact with each entry - the original debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, while Slime Language 2 topped that chart as well as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, per Billboard. The expectation, at least commercially, is that SL3 follows the same upward trajectory. Whether a 41-track surprise drop can clear those numbers without a promotional build-up is the real question.
Young Thug also clearly wants to introduce a new generation of YSL artists to his audience. The album was preceded by two singles: "Hood of Atlanta," featuring Tezzus and diamond*, and "Consummate," featuring 1300Saint and Tezzus, released three days prior. Those are not household names yet. Getting them on a project alongside Travis Scott and Future is the oldest label move in the book - and it can absolutely work, if the songs stick.
The roster question
The lineup of YSL right now is genuinely strange to look at for anyone who followed the label in its peak years. Gunna is gone. Lil Keed is gone. Gunna's departure came in 2025, after his friendship with Thug soured over events during the racketeering trial. The emotional weight of those absences sits under every track here, whether or not SL3 ever addresses them directly.
What Young Thug does have is momentum. He came out of the legal proceedings with his freedom, a label still functioning, and apparently a full studio. Dropping a 41-track album with no warning, on a Friday night at the end of August, is exactly the kind of move that says: I'm still here, this thing is still running, and I'm not asking anyone's permission.
Whether the music justifies the weight of that statement is a conversation that's going to run for weeks. Billboard points out that looking at the names on some of these tracks, you'd "be fair to assume" you're getting smashes. The reality, as the reviews are starting to show, is more complicated. But right now, 41 tracks into a Friday night that nobody saw coming, complicated is exactly where the conversation is.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
