Though the Flint rapper’s latest falls slightly short of his previous mixtape, he’s still capable of delivering dumbly witty punchlines and sex-obsessed theatrics.
Flint, Michigan wouldn't be one of the hottest scenes in rap without “Coochie,” “Coochie World,” “Coochie Scout,” a mixtape titled Coochie Land, and Coochie Man, the floor-humping alter ego of YN Jay. Through horny punchline-based vignettes, overpowering ad-libs, and sexually frustrated grunts that sound closer to Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall than anything we’re used to hearing in a rap song, Jay has been putting his own spin on the sound of Flint rap since early last year. This seems like a stunt that should have gone briefly viral and faded away, and it probably would have if YN Jay’s theatrics weren’t secondary to the music itself.
YN Jay’s first mixtape of the year, Ninja Warrior generates countless questions. Why is there a Naruto theme but the tape begins with a snippet from The Warriors and ends with a clip from Kung Fu Panda? Why does he tirelessly brag about the sex position where he whips a leg in the air like a jockey lifting themselves onto a horse? Is there a reason why he keeps barking? YN Jay heavily pants, growls, and breathes during the opening seconds of “Oh My Gawd,” and the line that follows is, “I just seen a badass bitch lookin’ at me in the club!” If you haven’t realized yet, YN Jay is obsessed with sex, and even the slightest possibility of it makes him lose his mind like a dog with rabies.
The way he relentlessly fantasizes about asses like a middle schooler who just found their first porn site is part of his charm, but it’s a convenient smokescreen. His music is actually about how well he’s able to use the foundation of Flint rap to build this raunchy fever dream. On “Elevator Music,” Jay and fellow local star Louie Ray use the conversational back-and-forth style—which has produced some of their city’s best songs like “Movie” and “Arguing”—to boast about their sexcapades: Jay and this one girl were so wild that they broke a California king bed, and Louie reminisces about the smell of booty.
“Kakashi” has the fast-paced drums and breezy delivery that sounds like the older kid on the block telling you a tall tale—both of which have become synonymous with the Flint rap scene. But it’s how Jay manipulates the flow that makes it feel so fresh. It takes him multiple tries to get his anecdote right about creeping with another man's girlfriend, but there are no second takes—well, at least it doesn’t feel as if there are—because Jay flourishes in those unplanned split seconds.
It’s impossible not to compare Ninja Warrior to YN Jay’s 2020 explosion, and when you do, the mixtape slightly underwhelms. There is no moment as jaw-droppingly funny as the sound effect of an ass clapping on “Coochie;” the handful of Michigan-style Marc Boomin instrumentals are familiar and fine, but feel like B-versions of the frenetic Enrgy beats that have backdropped Jay’s regional hits of the past. And his punchlines are still dumbly witty, but not like the time when he exclaimed, “How the fuck you thick wit no ass?!” on “Austin Powers.” Still, there’s no shame in that—Jay set the bar high for himself. As long as he continues to embrace the brisk drum patterns and casual flows of his city, the music will remain more than a gimmick.
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