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Rapper Young Thug spoke about the current state of the rap industry on Friday, April 25, 2025, in his first interview since he was released from prison. The rapper, who was born Jeffery Lamar Williams II, was released from Atlanta's Fulton County Jail on October 31, 2024. He had been in prison for over 900 days as part of the YSL RICO trial. According to a report by CNN US, the 33-year-old will have to serve 15 years of probation as part of his non-negotiable plea deal.
In his first interview since his release, Thug spoke to GQ and gave his two cents on the current state of the hip-hop industry. According to him, things have become repetitive in rap, as many people have written about the same thing. He added that while he believed the "numbers could be better," no one was bringing "something that you could actually watch."
He noted that while people can "enjoy the music and enjoy the things they do," previously musicians made movies. Thug claimed that everything was "just quick" now, stating that the industry needed to go back to movies, where "people respect it."
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He continued, opining on the differences between the music production of today versus the past.
“It was just a big wave of nothingness running the game. Super-simple videos, not really high-priced videos. That wave came in really strong. Even the people that was doing high-priced videos, they started doing regular videos because that’s what was popping. We did it so long where we’re comfortable with that. We don’t want to do stuff like this that takes time," he told the publication.
Young Thug gained mainstream attention for the first time when he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records in 2013 and released his debut mixtape, 1017 Thug.
He dropped commercially successful mixtapes like Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1, I'm Up, Slime Season 3, and Jeffery. The rapper got his first Billboard Hot 100 topper when he guest-starred in Camila Cabello's Havana in 2017. In 2019, he won Song of the Year at the Grammys for his contribution to Childish Gambino's This Is America.
"Don’t want to deal with it again": Young Thug opens up about life in prison
In his recent interview with GQ, Young Thug detailed his life in prison and the things he had been doing after regaining his freedom. The rapper was arrested in May 2022 as part of an ongoing RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) case. Georgia prosecutors alleged that the Punk hitmaker was the leader of a criminal gang called YSL in addition to heading his recording label of the same name.
After spending almost two-and-a-half years in jail for what became the longest criminal trial in Georgia's history, Young Thug accepted a non-negotiable plea deal. The terms of the ensuing probation forbade him from knowingly being in the company of gang members or promoting gang activity.
While discussing his experience of the trial, the rapper recalled looking around the courtroom and seeing a lot of people, including cameras since it was the longest trial in Georgia's history.
" And even just the things that the judge said when it was over for me. The judge was just like, “Yo, you got to realize who you are.” My lawyer, Brian Steel, he always told me every day, like, “Bro, you got to know. You got to know'," Thug said.
He continued, revealing that many officers patrolling his prison turned out to be his fans. When asked about his experience of being incarcerated, the rapper commented that it was "real," and something he didn't want to deal with again, stating that it was "definitely real."
The rapper also claimed that he pleaded guilty to things he "didn't do."
"But you get a chance to keep fighting. [You can] worry about the jury’s fate, or you [can] just go ahead now and go home. It’s like sh*t. Go home," added Young Thug.
Young Thug released his first single of 2025 on the same day as the GQ interview. The rapper teamed up with Future to release the song called Money on Money. Thug is also close to dropping his new album called UY SCUTI. As per Billboard, it is believed to come out in May.
