Another month, another
YoungBoy Never Broke Again release (or two, or three). After following the 30-track behemoth The Last Slimeto with the shorter mixtape
Realer 2, the prolific rapper released
3800 Degrees near the beginning of October 2022, additionally announcing the
Quando Rondo collaboration 3860 and the
DJ Drama-hosted Ma' I Got a Family, which appeared on October 21. Despite
YoungBoy previously announcing that he had completed his contract with Atlantic and left the label,
3800 Degrees was released through the company. The mixtape noticeably pays homage to
Juvenile's
400 Degreez and
Lil Wayne's
500 Degreez, both due to its fiery, Pen & Pixel-style cover art and its production -- more than any other
YoungBoy release, this sounds like it could've come out on Cash Money circa 2000. Mostly consisting of concise, aggressive blasts of energy, this is one of
YoungBoy's more potent efforts. Bearing guest appearances by
Mouse on tha Track,
Shy Glizzy, and Bay Area legend
E-40,
3800 Degrees debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200. ~ Paul Simpson