#30ROUNDSWITHDAPLUG ##TheDefinitiveCRUSH30:PlugNotARapperIsBuildingaCatalogDesignedtoBattleAnybody,AnyEra CRUSHMAGAZINE®|MUSIC•CULTURE•CATALOG

#30ROUNDSWITHDAPLUG

##TheDefinitiveCRUSH30:PlugNotARapperIsBuildingaCatalogDesignedtoBattleAnybody,AnyEra

CRUSHMAGAZINE®|MUSIC•CULTURE•CATALOG

Thereisapointinanartist’scareerwhensimplymakingmoremusicisnolongerenough.

Thecataloghastobeginfightingitself.

Thegoodsongshavetochallengethegreatsongs.

Thenewrecordshavetothreatentheclassics.

Therecordsmadeforwomenhavetostandbesidetherecordsmadefortheclub.Theclubrecordshavetostandbesidetherelationshiprecords.Therelationshiprecordshavetostandbesidethevulnerablerecords.Thevulnerablerecordshavetostandbesidetherecordsbuiltpurelyfromconfidence,humor,personalityandSouthernswagger.

ThatiswherePlugNotARapper/PartyPlugMikey™findshimselfnow.

Thisis30ROUNDSWITHDAPLUG.

Andtheconceptisintentionallybiggerthanonehypotheticalopponent.

Thisisn’tPlugversusonerapper.

Itisn’tPlugversusoneregion.

Itisn’tPlugversusonegeneration.

Itisn’tevenPlugversusonegenre.

Theimaginaryopponentis:

##EVERYBODY.

Everyera.

Everycatalog.

Everystyle.

Everylegendaryrecordthatcouldtheoreticallybeplayedfromtheothersideofthestage.

Hypothetically,ofcourse.

Becausethepurposeisn’ttodeclarethatanindependentartisthassomehoweraseddecadesofmusicalhistory.

Thepurposeistoestablishastandardforwhatcomesnext:

Ifyou’rebuildingaseriouscatalog,eventuallyeverysongneedsareasontoexistwhenanothergreatsongisplayedimmediatelyafterit.

That’saverydifferentstandardfromstreams.

Itisdifferentfromcharts.

Itisdifferentfromsocial-mediaviews.

Itisdifferentfromsimplymakingacohesivealbum.

Anditisdefinitelydifferentfromallowinganalgorithmtodecidewhichrecordsdefineanartist.

⸻

#THECRUSH30FORMULA

Theserankingsconsiderthetotalityofeachrecord:

Songquality.

Hookstrength.

Replayvalue.

Originality.

Personality.

Women’sappeal.

Relationshipvalue.

Nightlifeutility.

Southernculturalidentity.

Emotionaldepth.

Live-performancepotential.

Visualpotential.

Catalogimportance.

Longevity.

And,finally:

###Couldyouactuallyreachforthisrecordinahypotheticalsong-for-songbattle?

Thatfinalquestionchangeseverything.

BecausePlugNotARapper’sstrongestlaneisn’tsimplyconventionalstreetrap.

Hiscatalogincreasinglyrevealssomethingmorespecific:

Southernrap+women+sex+relationships+nightlife+humor+personality+melodicinstincts+CRUSHculture.

ThereisanobviouslineageconnectingthatphilosophytothegreatSouthernmusicbuiltaroundwomen,relationshipsandnightlife—butPlug’sinterpretationincreasinglybelongstoitsownworld.

ThisisthecurrentCRUSH30.

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#ROUND1

#1.GREATEST

##THEFLAGSHIP

Thereisalmostnomoredangeroustitleforarecordthan**“Greatest.”**

Thewordcreatesexpectationsbeforethebeatevenstarts.

That’spreciselywhyitbelongshere.

“Greatest”representstheversionofPlugNotARapperthatisn’taskingforpermissiontobelongintheconversation.

It’sconfidenceasconcept.

It’sself-belieftransformedintomusic.

It’sarecordthatworksparticularlywellinthisexercisebecauseitsentirepremisefitstheexercise:puttherecordonandmakeitprovethetitle.

Therecordcomesfromthe2024BadBaddiesLove’Sexera,aprojectthatpushedsexualconfidence,swagger,womenandpersonalityclosertogether.

But“Greatest”occupiesaslightlydifferentposition.

Itfeelslikethevictorylapinsidethatworld.

Theimportanceofthesongisn’tmerelytechnical.

It’spsychological.

Everyartisttryingtobuildacatalogneedsatleastonerecordwherethemessageisessentially:

IknowexactlywhoIam.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Victory/Swagger/Identity

Battleweapon:Openingstatementorlate-roundconfidencerecord

Catalogfunction:Flagship

Currentstatus:Therecordeverybodyelseischasing

###WATCH/LISTEN

OfficialMusicVideo:

Watch“Greatest”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

StreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND2

#2.SOMEBODYBIH

##THEPLUGDNARECORD

Ifsomebodywantedtounderstandthepersonalitybehindthecatalogquickly,**“SomebodyBih”**belongsintheconversation.

It’sirreverent.

It’sconversational.

It’swomen-centered.

It’sexplicitwithoutpretendingotherwise.

Andmostimportantly,itsoundsconnectedtotheactualpersonalityoftheartistperformingit.

Thatlastcharacteristicmattersenormously.

Rapcontainsthousandsoftechnicallycompetentrecordsthatcouldtheoreticallybelongtodozensofdifferentartists.

Themostvaluablecatalogrecordseventuallybecomehardertoseparatefromthepersonwhomadethem.

“SomebodyBih”movesinthatdirection.

ItalsorepresentsoneoftheclearestpiecesoftheToxicPlugLove/women-and-relationshipsDNAthatwouldcontinueevolvingthroughoutlaterprojects.

Thereishumorunderneaththesexuality.

Thereispersonalityunderneaththehumor.

Andthereisasimple,memorableconceptunderneathallofit.

Thatcombinationisextremelyusefulinasong-for-songenvironment.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Personality/ExplicitSouthernrap

Battleweapon:Women’sround

Livevalue:High

Identityvalue:Extremelyhigh

Whyitsurvives:Youremembertheideaimmediately.

###WATCH/LISTEN

OfficialMusicVideo:

Watch“SomebodyBih”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

StreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND3

#3.99&3000

##THEMOVEMENTRECORD

Therearesongsyouanalyze.

Therearesongsyouquote.

Andthentherearesongswhoseprimaryresponsibilityismakingbodiesmove.

“99&3000”understandsthethirdcategory.

Thisisanimportantdistinctionwhenevaluatingacompletecatalog.

Ahypothetical30-roundmusicalbattlecannotconsistentirelyofintrospectivewritingexercises.Atsomepointthequestionbecomes:

Whathappenstotheroomwhenthisstarts?

“99&3000”belongstothebody-movementsideofthePluguniverse.

Sexualitybecomesrhythm.

Rhythmbecomesvisualculture.

Visualculturebecomespartyculture.

AndpartycultureconnectsdirectlytothelargerCRUSHecosystemsurroundingthemusic.

Thatgivestherecordutilitybeyondheadphones.

Itcansoundtrackaparty.

Abeach.

Adanceclip.

Afestival.

Asocialvideo.

Aperformance.

Thatversatilityiswhyitsitsthishigh.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Twerk/Club/Southernparty

Battleweapon:Crowd-movementround

Visualvalue:Extremelyhigh

CRUSHcompatibility:Elite

Whyitsurvives:Itchangesthephysicalenergyoftheroom.

###WATCH/LISTEN

OfficialMusicVideo:

Watch“The99&3000”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

ExplorethePlugNotARappercatalog

⸻

#ROUND4

#4.RAWEST

##THESWAGGERRECORD

Somerecordsliveordieoncharisma.

“Rawest”isoneofthem.

TherecordbringstogetherPlugNotARapperandTALIRAQSandcreatesausefulcontrastinvoicesandenergy.

Butitslargercatalogpurposeisstraightforward:

presence.

Thisistherecordyoureachforwhenthebattlehasbecomeaboutattituderatherthanvulnerability.

Noelaborateexplanationisrequired.

Confidencehastocomethroughthespeakers.

TheBBL’Sprojectwasbuiltaroundsexualconfidence,playfulvulnerability,catchyhooksandhigh-energyproduction,and“Rawest”sitscomfortablyattheaggressiveendofthatspectrum.

It’salsooneoftherecordswhosevisualcomponentstrengthensitsbattleutility.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Swagger/Rap/Performance

Battleweapon:Attituderound

Featurechemistry:Strong

Visualvalue:High

Whyitsurvives:Immediatepresence.

###WATCH/LISTEN

OfficialMusicVideo:

Watch“Rawest”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

Stream“Rawest”/BadBaddiesLove’Sexera

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#ROUND5

#5.CLOSESTFRIENDS

##THEEMOTIONALCOUNTERPUNCH

Thisiswherethehypotheticalopponentrealizesthesetisn’tgoingtoremainone-dimensional.

“ClosestFriends”mattersbecausecontrastmatters.

Womencanbeapproachedthroughcelebration.

Throughsex.

Throughhumor.

Throughlust.

Throughnightlife.

Butrelationshipsalsocreatedisappointment,attachment,confusion,betrayalandvulnerability.

Acatalogcenteredheavilyaroundwomenbecomesmuchstrongerwhenitacknowledgesallofthosedimensions.

“ClosestFriends”givestheCRUSH30anemotionalcounterpunch.

Afterseveralrecordsbuiltaroundconfidenceandmovement,thetemperaturecansuddenlychange.

That’sbattlestrategy.

Butit’salsoartisticrange.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Relationships/Emotion

Battleweapon:Vulnerabilityround

Catalogimportance:Veryhigh

Whyitsurvives:ItexpandswhatPlugcantalkaboutwithoutabandoningthecorewomen/relationshiplane.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

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#ROUND6

#6.ROXY

##AFTERMIDNIGHT

“Roxy”occupiesanothercorneroftherelationshipuniverse.

Thisisn’tsimplyromance.

Itisattractionwithcomplications.

Late-nightdecisions.

Desire.

Emotionalinstability.

Thespacewherelustandactualattachmentstartbecomingdifficulttoseparate.

Thatterritoryisimportantbecauseitpushesthecatalogtowardsomethingclosertorap/R&Brelationshipmusicratherthanmerelysongsaboutwomen.

That’sanimportantdistinction.

Thelong-termceilingforPlug’slanemayultimatelydependonmasteringthatintersection:

Arapper’spersonalitywiththeemotionalreplayvaluetraditionallyassociatedwithgreatSouthernrelationshiprecords.

“Roxy”helpsestablishthatbridge.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Toxiclove/Late-night/Melodicrelationshipmusic

Battleweapon:Relationshipround

Women’sreplayvalue:High

Whyitsurvives:Itaddsatmosphereandemotionalambiguity.

###LISTEN

ExplorePlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

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#ROUND7

#7.THERAPYSESSIONS

##THERECORDTHECATALOGNEEDS

“TherapySessions”isvaluablepreciselybecauseitdoesn’tperformthesamejobas“99&3000.”

Aseriouscatalogneedscontradiction.

Themanwhoisconfidentatthepartystillhasthoughtswhenhegetshome.

Themanmakingsexualrecordsstillexperiencescomplicatedrelationships.

Thepersonalitybehindthebrandstillhasaninteriorlife.

“TherapySessions”createsthatdimension.

ThatmakesitoneofthemoststrategicallyvaluablesongsintheTop30.

ItpreventsPlugfrombecomingtrappedinsidehisownpartypersona.

Andinahypotheticalbattle,itgiveshimsomewheretogowhentheopposingrecordisn’taboutturningupatall.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Introspection/Vulnerability

Battleweapon:Emotionaldepth

Catalogfunction:Range-expander

Whyitsurvives:Itprovesthecataloghasaninteriorworld.

###LISTEN

Stream“TherapySessions”onAppleMusic

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#ROUND8

#8.LONGISLANDICEDTEA

##NIGHTLIFEASSTORYTELLING

Thetitleimmediatelycreatesasetting.

That’svaluable.

Youcanpracticallyseethetable.

Theglass.

Thelights.

Theconversationsgettingprogressivelylessresponsible.

“LongIslandIcedTea”belongstothenightlifesideofthecatalog,butitsvalueisn’tsimply“anotherpartysong.”

Thedrinkbecomesanentrypointintoanentireenvironment:

women,nightlife,attraction,decisionsandstoriesthatonlyseemlogicalaftermidnight.

That’sanextremelynaturalenvironmentforthePlugpersona.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Nightlife/Women/Lifestyle

Battleweapon:After-hoursround

Brandcompatibility:Extremelyhigh

Whyitsurvives:Thetitlealonecreatesascene.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapper—AppleMusic

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#ROUND9

#9.WORLDYOGACOACH

##ONLYPLUGWOULDCALLITTHAT

Originalityissometimesmorevaluablethanseriousness.

“WorldYogaCoach”hassomethingdifficulttomanufacture:

atitleandconceptthatimmediatelyfeelspecifictothisartist’suniverse.

Thatmatters.

Thegreatestcatalogsaren’tmadeentirelyfromsongscalled“Pain,”“Money,”“Love”and“Hustle.”

Theycontainstrangerecords.

Funnyrecords.

Hyper-specificrecords.

Recordswherethetitleitselfcreatescuriosity.

“WorldYogaCoach”bringsthatelementtotheCRUSH30whileremainingconnectedtowomen,attraction,lifestyleandthebroaderPlugpersonality.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Humor/Originalconcept

Battleweapon:Wild-cardround

Identity:Elite

Whyitsurvives:Itisdifficulttoconfusewithsomebodyelse’sconcept.

###LISTEN

AppleMusiccurrentlysurfacestheliveversionof“WorldYogaCoach”amongPlugNotARapper’stopsongs.

StreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND10

#10.BBL’S&HUSTLERZ

##THETHESISSTATEMENT

IfsomeoneaskedforthequickestexplanationofamajorportionofthePluguniverse,thetitlenearlyanswersthequestion.

BBLs.

Hustlers.

Womenandmoney.

Sexappealandambition.

Lifestyleandgrind.

“BBL’s&Hustlerz”openstheBadBaddiesLove’Sexalbumandimmediatelyestablishesitsenvironment.

Thatsequencingmatters.

It’samissionstatement.

Therecorddoesn’tneedtopretendPlug’smusicissomethingitisn’t.

Itembracesthelane.

AndthatconfidenceispreciselywhyitbelongsintheTop10.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women+Hustle

Battleweapon:Lifestyleround

Albumimportance:Extremelyhigh

Whyitsurvives:ItsummarizesanentirePlugerainonetitle.

###LISTEN

Stream“BBL’s&Hustlerz”onAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND11

#11.F***ONYOTHOT

##NOSUBTLETYREQUIRED

Everyrecorddoesnotneedelegance.

Sometimesaggressionistheconcept.

“F***OnYoThot”isintentionallyprovocative.

Sexual.

Confrontational.

Unapologetic.

Andina30-roundformat,thatextremityisuseful.

Acatalogneedsmomentswhentheartistcanstopexplaininghimselfandsimplythrowsomethingrecklessintotheroom.

Thisisoneofthosemoments.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Explicit/Club/Confrontation

Battleweapon:Shock-energyround

Livepotential:High

Whyitsurvives:Itrefusessubtlety.

###WATCH/LISTEN

MusicVideo:

Watch“F***OnYoThot”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

PlugNotARappercatalog

⸻

#ROUND12

#12.GOODGOOD

##SIMPLECANBEPOWERFUL

“GoodGood”doesn’tneedanelaboratethesis.

Itsstrengthisaccessibility.

Women.

Asmoothenvironment.

Playfullanguage.

Late-nightutility.

Replay.

Thatmakesitoneoftheeasierrecordsinthecatalogtounderstandimmediately.

TheofficialCRUSHcatalogdescriptioncharacterizestherecordassmoothandplayful,suitedtolate-nightplaylistsandparties.

That’sexactlyitsfunctionhere.

Noteveryroundneedsaspeech.

Sometimesthehookjustneedstowork.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Party/Late-night

Battleweapon:Accessiblewomen’sround

Replay:High

Whyitsurvives:Itdoesn’tovercomplicatetheassignment.

###LISTEN

Stream“GoodGood”onAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND13

#13.TURNUPDASTRIP

##TAKETHEMUSICOUTSIDE

Somerecordsbelonginheadphones.

Othersneedpavement.

Cars.

People.

Movement.

Astrip.

“TurnUpDaStrip”representsthatsecondcategory.

ItsimportancecomesfromunderstandingthatPlug’smusicisn’tsupposedtoexistexclusivelyasprivatelistening.

TheCRUSHecosystemisinherentlysocial.

Beachculture.

Nightlife.

Cars.

Crowds.

Parties.

Events.

Themusicneedsrecordscapableoffunctioninginthosespaces.

“TurnUpDaStrip”isone.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Streetparty/Turn-up/Southernnightlife

Battleweapon:Crowdround

Environment:Outside

Whyitsurvives:Itgivesthecatalogphysicalscale.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND14

#14.MIKEYTYSON

##BUILDINGTHECHARACTER

Everymemorableartisteventuallycreatesmythologyaroundhimself.

Nicknames.

Characters.

Alteregos.

Recurringlanguage.

Imagesfansimmediatelyassociatewiththeartist.

“MikeyTyson”isvaluablebecauseitparticipatesinthatprocess.

Thetitleturnstheartisthimselfintotheconcept.

It’splayfulself-mythologyratherthangenericflexing.

Andthenameisimmediatelymemorable.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Persona/Wordplay/Self-branding

Battleweapon:Personalityround

Brandvalue:Extremelyhigh

Whyitsurvives:ItturnsMikeyintoacharacterinsidehisowncatalog.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND15

#15.SLUTTYVEGAN

##ATLANTATHROUGHTHEPLUGLENS

Thebestpersonalityrecordsoftentakesomethingrecognizableandreinterpretitthroughtheartist.

That’swhatmakes“SluttyVegan”useful.

ThetitlecarriesimmediateAtlantaculturalrecognition.

ButthePluginterpretationnaturallyturnstowardwomen,sexuality,humorandlifestyle.

That’sexactlythekindofregionalspecificityaSoutherncatalogneeds.

Atlantaisn’tmerelyacitymentionedinaverse.

Itbecomespartofthelanguageoftherecord.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Atlanta/Women/Humor

Battleweapon:Regionalpersonalityround

Conceptstrength:Veryhigh

Whyitsurvives:Thetitleisinstantlymemorable.

###WATCH/LISTEN

MusicVideo:

Watch“SluttyVegan”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

PlugNotARappercatalog

⸻

#ROUND16

#16.FACES

##ANOTHERSIDEOFRELATIONSHIPS

“Faces”mattersbecausetherelationshipcategorycannotberepresentedbyoneemotionaltone.

“SomebodyBih”isn’t“Roxy.”

“Roxy”isn’t“ClosestFriends.”

And“ClosestFriends”isn’t“Faces.”

That’showareallanebecomesacatalogratherthanagimmick.

Thesubjectcanremainwomenandrelationshipswhiletheemotionalperspectivechanges.

“Faces”addsanothershade.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Relationships/Reflection

Battleweapon:Change-of-temperatureround

Catalogpurpose:Depthwithinthecorelane

Whyitsurvives:Itpreventstherelationshipmusicfrombecomingrepetitive.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND17

#17.MONEY

##THEUNIVERSALLANGUAGE

Theremaybenosubjectmorecommoninrapthanmoney.

Thatmakestheassignmentharder,noteasier.

Amoneyrecordhastosurvivedespitethelisteneralreadyhavingheardthousandsofthem.

“Money”earnsitsplacebecauseeverycompletebattlecatalogneedsadirecthustling/flexweapon.

Nocomplicatedmetaphorisrequired.

Thesubjectitselfisuniversallyunderstood.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Money/Hustle/Flex

Battleweapon:Moneyround

Universality:High

Whyitsurvives:Somesubjectsneverstopworking.

###LISTEN

ExplorePlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND18

#18.THESPECIALSERVICES

##THEHOMESCREENGENERATION

The2026HomeScreenalbumrepresentsanotherstageofthecatalog.

And**“TheSpecialServices”**currentlysitsatthefrontofPlugNotARapper’sAppleMusicTopSongspresentation.

Thatdoesnotautomaticallymakeitthebestrecord.

Butitdoesmakeitimportant.

TheHomeScreeneraintroducedaconcentrateddigital-languageconceptintothecatalog—screens,messages,service,digitallifeandthewayrelationshipsincreasinglyhappenthroughdevices.

“TheSpecialServices”standsatthefrontofthatchapter.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Modernlifestyle/Digitalera

Battleweapon:New-generationcataloground

Historicalvalue:Growing

Whyitsurvives:Itrepresentswherethereleasedcatalogcurrentlystandsin2026.

###LISTEN

StreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND19

#19.MESSAGE

##THEPHONEISPARTOFTHERELATIONSHIPNOW

“Message”makessensewithinHomeScreenbecausemodernrelationshipsincreasinglyhappenthroughscreens.

Amessagecanbeginarelationship.

Endone.

Restartone.

Exposeone.

Complicateone.

That’swhytheconceptworksinsidePlug’sestablishedrelationshiplane.

Thetechnologychanged.

Thesubjectdidn’t.

It’sstillpeopletryingtounderstandeachother.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Relationships/Digitallife

Battleweapon:Conceptround

Currentvisibility:High

Whyitsurvives:Itupdatesanoldhumansubjectforamodernenvironment.

###LISTEN

Stream“Message”viaPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND20

#20.BEEN2LONG

##CATALOGHISTORYCOUNTS

Acareerrankingshouldn’tsufferfromrecencybias.

Everytimeanewprojectarrives,oldermusicshouldn’tautomaticallydisappear.

“Been2long”survivesbecausethePartyPlugMikeyeramatterstounderstandinghowthecurrentidentitydeveloped.

Olderrecordsprovidecontext.

Theyshowwhichideasexistedbeforetheywererefined.

Theyrevealcontinuity.

Andinahypotheticalcatalogbattle,sometimesanolderrecordcarriesanenergythatcannotberecreatedintentionallyyearslater.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:EarlyPlugidentity

Battleweapon:Catalog-historyround

Legacyvalue:High

Whyitsurvives:Thenewcatalogdoesn’texistwithouttheoldone.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND21

#21.AINTTHESAME

##DIFFERENTONPURPOSE

Thetitlecapturesanimportantpieceofthelargerartisticthesis.

Notthesame.

Notbuilttofitneatlyinsidesomebodyelse’slane.

Thatconceptmattersevenmorenowthatthecatalogdirectionisbecomingclearer.

Theobjectiveisn’ttorecreatesomebodyelse’spainmusic.

Orsomebodyelse’sstreetmusic.

Orsomebodyelse’sR&B.

TheobjectiveisidentifyingwhatPlugdoesnaturallyandmakingthatincreasinglyundeniable.

“AinttheSame”thereforeageswellasanidentitystatement.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Individuality/Identity

Battleweapon:Statementround

Whyitsurvives:Differenceitselfispartofthebrand.

###LISTEN

PlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND22

#22.PLUGLOVEII

##LOVENEVERLEFTTHECATALOG

Thetitletellsyousomethingimportant:

Thisisn’tanaccidentalsubject.

ThereisenoughPlugLovetohaveasequel.

Thatmatters.

Women,lust,attraction,love,toxicityandrelationshipsaren’tsidequests.

Theyarerecurringchapters.

“PlugLoveII”reinforcestheideathatthelong-termPluglaneisasmuchaboutrelationshipsasitisaboutpartying.

Thatbecomesespeciallyimportantasfuturerecordsbecomemoremelodic.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Love/Women/Relationships

Battleweapon:Romanticrelationshipround

Seriesvalue:High

Whyitsurvives:Itreinforcesoneofthecatalog’scentralthemes.

###LISTEN

Stream“PlugLoveII”onAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND23

#23.TOOKOMFORTABLE4ME

##PERSONALITYISAMUSICALWEAPON

Lookatthespellingbeforeevenconsideringtherecord.

TooKomfortable4Me.

That’sbranding.

Thephrasehaspersonalitybeforethemusicstarts.

Recordslikethisareessentialbecausea30-songsetcannotfeellikethirtyversionsofthesameseriousrapper.

Thereneedstobeweirdness.

Humor.

Character.

Unexpectedlanguage.

“TooKomfortable4Me”givesthecataloganotherdistinctiveidentitypiece—andAppleMusicrecognizesitasoneofPlug’sofficialmusicvideos.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Personality/Concept

Battleweapon:Wild-cardround

Visualvalue:High

Whyitsurvives:Yourememberthename.

###WATCH/LISTEN

OfficialAppleMusicVideoavailable.

WatchandstreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND24

#24.GENERALTSO

##EVERYTHINGDOESN’THAVETOBESERIOUS

“GeneralTso”belongstothepartofPlug’scatalogwheretheconceptitselfcreatesentertainment.

Thatisvaluable.

Humordoesn’treducemusicalseriousness.

Personalityispartofmusicianship.

Andartistswhocanmakelistenerssmile,quoteatitleorrememberanabsurdconceptpossessanothertoolthattechnicallyperfectbutpersonality-freerecordsdon’thave.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Humor/Personality/Concept

Battleweapon:Left-fieldround

Memorability:High

Whyitsurvives:Funcounts.

###LISTEN

Stream“GeneralTso”onAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND25

#25.SCREENSAVER

##HOMESCREEN,BUTSTILLPLUG

“ScreenSaver”isanotherexampleofwhytheHomeScreenconceptworkswhenitremainsattachedtotheartist’sestablishedidentity.

Technologyistheframe.

Womenandlifestyleremaininsidethepicture.

That’sthekey.

Aconceptalbumbecomesdangerouswhentheconceptdoesn’tburytheartist.

“ScreenSaver”stillhastosoundlikePlug—notmerelylikesomeonewritingsongsaboutphones.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Digitallifestyle

Battleweapon:Modern-conceptround

Albumfunction:StrengthensHomeScreenworld-building

Whyitsurvives:Newframing,familiarDNA.

###LISTEN

StreamtheHomeScreeneraonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND26

#26.BADDIES

##ONEWORD.WHOLEUNIVERSE.

Baddies.

That’sit.

OnewordcapturesamassiveportionofthePlug/CRUSHworld.

Womenhavebeenpresentthroughoutthemusic,albumconcepts,nightlife,visuallanguageandfestivalecosystem.

So“Baddies”isn’tmerelyanothersongaboutattractivewomen.

Itbelongstoarecurringuniverse.

Thatmakesitmorevaluableretrospectively.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/CRUSHculture

Battleweapon:Baddiesround

Brandalignment:Elite

Whyitsurvives:Thetitleispracticallypartofthebrandvocabulary.

###LISTEN

StreamPlugNotARapperonAppleMusic

⸻

#ROUND27

#27.JIGGLYPUFF

##FUNISPARTOFTHEFORMULA

Playful.

Sexual.

Visual.

Ridiculousenoughtoremember.

That’sexactlywhy**“JigglyPuff”**works.

Thereisatendencytoevaluaterapcatalogsasifeverygreatrecordhastosoundimportant.

Itdoesn’t.

Somerecordsbecomeimportantbecausepeoplehavefunwiththem.

“JigglyPuff”isbuiltforthatuniverse.

Thetitleitselfcreatesvisuallanguage,andthevideoreinforcestherecord’sroleasaplayfulsexual/partyweapon.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Twerk/Sexual/Humor

Battleweapon:Funround

Visualvalue:Extremelyhigh

Replayenvironment:Parties/CRUSH/socialclips

Whyitsurvives:Itdoesn’ttakeitselftooseriously.

###WATCH/LISTEN

MusicVideo:

Watch“JigglyPuff”onYouTube

AppleMusic:

ExplorePlugNotARapper

⸻

#ROUND28

#28.NEWERAEVE

##THEOLDCATALOGNOWHASAPROBLEM

ThisiswheretheCRUSH30stopsbeingaretrospective.

“NewEraEve”representsthenextgeneration.

ItbelongstothedevelopingCRUSHRELOADEDera,anditsresponsibilityismuchgreaterthanfillinganotheralbumslot.

Therecordrepresentstransition.

Celebration.

Achangingera.

CRUSHlifestyle.

Andtheideathattheartistenteringthenextchaptershouldbestrongerthantheartistwhocreatedthepreviousone.

ThatiswhyNo.28ismerelyitsentryposition.

Theobjectiveisnotfor“NewEraEve”toremainNo.28.

Theobjectiveisforittoclimb.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Celebration/CRUSH/Lifestyle

Battleweapon:New-eraround

Currentstatus:Challenger

Ceiling:Top-20territoryifthefinalrecordfulfillsitspotential

###LISTEN

OfficialAppleMusiclinkforthcominguponrelease.

⸻

#ROUND29

#29.SUMFINESHIT

##THENEWGENERATIONATTACKSTHETOP10

“SumFineShit”maybeenteringthisrankingatNo.29.

Itisn’tbeingdesignedlikeaNo.29record.

TheentireconceptsitsdirectlyinthecenterofPlug’sstrongestmusicalterritory:

women.

sexuality.

Southernlanguage.

immediatehooks.

personality.

clubutility.

CRUSHcompatibility.

Thisispreciselywhattheneweraissupposedtoaccomplish.

Insteadofabandoningthelanethatalreadyworks,sharpenit.

Makeitcatchier.

Makeitmoreimmediate.

Makeiteasiertoquote.

Makeitbiggerinaroom.

“SumFineShit”thereforehasaveryspecificmission:

###TAKESOMEBODY’STOP-10SPOT.

Ifitcannoteventuallychallenge“SomebodyBih,”“99&3000,”“GoodGood”andtheotherestablishedwomen/partyrecords,thenthenewgenerationhasn’tadvancedfarenough.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Club/Southernpersonality

Battleweapon:Potentialnuclearwomen’sround

Currentstatus:Challenger

Target:Top10

###LISTEN

OfficialAppleMusiclinkforthcominguponrelease.

⸻

#ROUND30

#30.GOLDBOTTLES

##THECHALLENGER

Thefinalpositionbelongstothenewestchallenge.

“GoldBottles.”

Luxury.

Women.

Southernhumor.

Movement.

Brownskin.

Celebration.

Andanintentionallysimple,repeatablecentralidea.

Therecordisbeingbuiltaroundthetypeoflanguagecrowdsdon’tneedthreelistenstounderstand.

That’simportant.

Inahypotheticalsong-for-songbattle,theaudiencedoesnotalwaysgiveyoutimetoexplainwhysomethingisbrilliant.

Sometimesthereactionneedstohappenimmediately.

“GoldBottles”isbeingdesignedforthatreaction.

Andlike“SumFineShit,”No.30isn’tsupposedtobecomeitspermanenthome.

It’sthestartinggate.

###CRUSHROUNDVALUE

Lane:Women/Luxury/Southernparty

Battleweapon:Crowd-responsechallenger

Currentstatus:Underconstruction

Target:Top10–15potential

###LISTEN

OfficialAppleMusiclinkforthcominguponrelease.

⸻

#NOWTHEREALCOMPETITIONBEGINS

Thirtyrecordssoundslikeanaccomplishment.

ForPlugNotARapper,itshouldbecomeaproblem.

Becausemorerecordsarecoming.

Rich.

Founder.

TheTemptations.

WaistlineTats.

SteakNShake.

MsLady.

ThenCRUSHTOBERUNIVERSITY.

TurnUp.

Open2Real.

BabyNames.

CollegeGirlz.

Been’dIt.

CrushSuperfans.

TrickorTreat.

Lilo&Stitch.

Andothersstillbeingdeveloped.

Everyoneofthemnowknowstheadmissionprice.

⸻

#YOUDON’TENTERTHECRUSH30BECAUSEYOU’RENEW.

##YOUHAVETOBEATSOMEBODY.

IfTurnUpbecomesamonster,somebodyleaves.

IfFounderbecomesthedefinitiveownershipanthem,somebodyleaves.

IfCollegeGirlzbecomesahomecomingstaple,somebodyleaves.

IfBabyNamesbecomesthemelodiccrossoverrecorditsconceptcouldsupport,somebodyleaves.

IfGoldBottlesbecomesbiggerthananestablishedTop-10record?

MovetheTop10.

AndifonedayarecordisgenuinelybetterthanGreatest?

MoveNo.1.

Nothingissacredexceptimprovement.

⸻

#THEHYPOTHETICALVERSUSISN’TAGAINSTONEARTIST

That’sthelargerphilosophy.

Imaginetheopponentisallowedtochoosefromeverybody.

Oneroundtheyplayalegendaryclubrecord.

Whatdoyouhave?

Nextroundtheyplayarelationshipclassic.

Whatdoyouhave?

Thenasexrecord.

Whatdoyouhave?

Thenvulnerability.

Thenmoney.

Thenhumor.

Thenpurepersonality.

Thenaregionalanthem.

Thensomethingmelodic.

Thensomethingwomenknowword-for-word.

Thenarecordcapableofmovingthousandsofpeopleoutdoors.

Thenasongthatmeanssomethingaloneat2A.M.

That’sthecatalogtest.

Not:

CanPlugimitatewhoeverispopular?

But:

##HOWMANYDIFFERENTWAYSCANPLUGWINWHILESTILLSOUNDINGLIKEPLUG?

That’samuchmoreimportantquestion.

⸻

#THEREALDNA

Thedeeperthiscatalogbecomes,thecleareritscentergets.

Womenarecentral.

Relationshipsarecentral.

Sexiscentral.

Nightlifeiscentral.

Southernpersonalityiscentral.

Humormatters.

Melodymatters.

Movementmatters.

Vulnerabilitymatterswhenusedstrategically.

AndCRUSHgivesallofitalargerculturalenvironmenttoliveinside.

That’swhytheobjectiveshouldneverbetobecomesomebodyelse’sversionofastreetrapper.

Therearealreadygreatartistsoccupyingthatterritory.

Plug’sopportunityisdevelopingsomethingincreasinglyidentifiable:

###Southernplayermusicforwomen,relationships,nightlife,moneyandCRUSHculture—withenoughvulnerabilitytomakethepartypersonahuman.

Thatisamuchharderidentitytoduplicate.

⸻

#THEVIDEOCATALOGMATTERSTOO

Musicbattlesareheard.

Modernartistbattlesarealsoseen.

Thatmakesthegrowingvisualarchiveextremelyimportant.

AmongtheCRUSH30,publiclydocumentedvisualsalreadyinclude:

Greatest.

Rawest.

SomebodyBih.

99&3000.

FOnYoThot.*

SluttyVegan.

JigglyPuff.

AndAppleMusicadditionallypresentsofficialvisualreleasesincludingTooKomfortable4Me.

Thatvisualarchiveshouldkeepexpanding.

Becausethenextobjectiveisn’tmerely:

30songs.

It’seventually:

30records+iconicimages+memorableperformances+recognizablehooks+fanmemoriesattachedtothem.

That’swhenacatalogbecomeslargerthanaplaylist.

⸻

#PLUGVS.PLUG

Ultimately,theimaginary“everybodyever”opponentisuseful.

Butitisn’ttheopponentPlugcanactuallycontrol.

Therealbattleis:

PlugNotARappervs.PlugNotARapper.

TheartistwhomadeToxicPlugLovehastobeathimself.

TheartistwhomadeNotLikeThemRapN**zhastobeathimself.

TheartistwhomadeBaddiesIslandhastobeathimself.

TheartistwhomadeMapoukaTwerkDoctorhastobeathimself.

Theartistwhomade*(B.B.L.’S)BadBaddiesLove’Sex*hastobeathimself.

TheartistwhomadeMrCRUSHhastobeathimself.

TheartistwhomadeHomeScreenhastobeathimself.

AndnowtheartistmakingCRUSHRELOADEDandCRUSHTOBERUNIVERSITYhastobeatallofthem.

Thatishowacatalogcompounds.

Notbypretendingeverynewrecordisthegreatestsongevermade.

Byforcingeverynewrecordtocompetewitheverythingthatcamebeforeit.

⸻

#30ROUNDS.

##NOSAFESPOTS.

##NOPERMANENTRANKINGS.

##NOALBUMFILLER.

##NOCEILING.

Ifthenextrecordcan’tthreatenthelist,makeabetterrecord.

Ifthenextalbumcan’tproducemultiplecareerrecords,makeabetteralbum.

IfthecurrentTop10becomestooeasytoprotect,raisethestandard.

Becausetheultimategoalisn’tsimplytopossess30songsworthplaying.

Itistoreachapointwherechoosingonly30hurts.

Thenchoosing20becomesbrutal.

Thenchoosing10becomesnearlyimpossible.

That’swhatcatalogdepthlookslike.

That’swhatlongevitylookslike.

Andthat’swhatthenexteraisbeingbuilttoaccomplish.

#THECRUSH30HASBEGUN.

###STREAMTHECATALOG

PlugNotARapper—OfficialAppleMusicArtistPage

###WATCHTHEVISUALS

PlugNotARapper—OfficialCRUSHMusicVideoGallery

CRUSHMAGAZINE®

Music.Culture.Women.Lifestyle.Ownership.

THECRUSHCONTINUES.

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