Released: 2016 • Features: Travis Scott
“Pick Up The Phone” by Young Thug featuring Travis Scott is a raw and unfiltered exploration of the trap lifestyle, showcasing Thug’s and Scott’s lavish spending, their penchant for illicit substances, and their complex relationships with women. The song paints a picture of reckless living and the relentless pursuit of pleasure, set against the backdrop of the gritty, unpredictable world of the trap.
Verse after verse, the song dives into the heady mix of money, drugs, and women that define the trap lifestyle. When Thug says, “I pour a four up,” he’s referring to Actavis, a brand of prescription-strength cough syrup often mixed with soda to create a drink known as lean. Meanwhile, “I just went got my dough up,” speaks about hustling and increasing his wealth.
The recurring chorus, “Pick up the phone, baby,” can be seen as an urgent plea for connection in a world defined by disconnection – whether that’s connecting with a woman or business dealings. The line “I just poured up a four, baby” details the hedonistic lifestyle – the constant pouring of lean, a dangerous concoction of prescription-strength cough syrup mixed with soda, a common reference in trap music.
In the second verse, the lyrics raise the stakes: “Pour up a four of that Actavis / Lean like my muhfuckin’ granny did.” Thug draws a parallel between his lean habit and his grandmother’s alleged substance use, showing the cyclical nature of addiction in certain communities. By saying he won his “Super Bowl ring with big body Benz,” he equates his success in the trap game to that of winning a championship.
Travis Scott’s verse takes a more introspective turn, with lines like “I thought I was right / Then I had to man up, I was wrong.” He reflects on his mistakes and moments of growth, while continuing the song’s themes of drug use and casual relationships with “She in love with the pipe,” a slang for both drug use and sexual encounters.
Finally, the song closes with the line “I’ma pull up and murk too,” translating to arriving at a location ready for anything, even the potential for violence. It’s an uncompromising look at the grit and grind of the trap life, showing both the allure and the danger of the lifestyle.
“Pick Up The Phone” is a candid snapshot of Thug’s and Scott’s life at the heights of their fame, complete with all its excesses and pitfalls. It’s a vivid exploration of the trap culture, a world where success and hedonism go hand in hand, and where the pursuit of pleasure often overshadows the potential for danger.
