On the Rvn

Since his earliest mixtapes, Young Thug’s earned a reputation as a restless experimentalist, pushing against traditional song structures and playing with language like putty. With *On the Rvn*, whose title alludes to charges stemming from a 2017 arrest, the ATLien seems to ease into a hypnotic groove, warbling moody melodies over ambient synths and acoustic guitars. Featured guests abound, from Jaden Smith to R&B upstart 6lack, but the EP’s most transcendent moment is “High,” on which Thug harmonizes with a sample of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”—and if that pairing seems strange, consider that Elton’s a self-professed Thugger superfan.

Fresh off the release of his newest studio album Slime Language, and an arrest for a weapons charge at its listening party, Young Thug has r...