Rapper Young Thug was once on top of the world. He was one of the kings of playlists on streaming platforms. There was a time when you could not turn on your radio dial and not hear the rapper’s eccentric melodic vocals blasting through your speakers. Fans worldwide loved and adored him. Publications and some rappers even labeled him as the “best rapper alive.” But just as swift as he arose, Young Thug’s life and career have taken a screeching halt with a severe trial looming over him.
His Music Career Started In 2011
Atlanta’s own Jeffery Lamar Williams, now 30-years-old, started his career when he began to release mixtapes in 2011. Shortly after, the flamboyant rapper that everyone came to know and love as Young Thug signed with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Brick Squad Records, an imprint of Asylum/Atlantic Records. But, according to a 2016 interview with Gucci Mane and XXL, the rapper was signed on the spot without the rapper ever hearing any material from him.
Young’s early music began to buzz intensely with fans all over and in various media publications. Very early on in his career, Complex listed the rapper as one of their “25 Rappers to Watch Out For” in 2013, noting his “obviously unique creativity and sonic skill.” However, the magazine also listed that the industry would have to “watch out” when he catches a hit record. The following year for him would prove to be very successful. Throughout 2014, the Atlanta rapper would often kiss the Billboard charts with various hits. He was featured on Tyga’s “Hookah,” Richgang’s “Lifestyle,” T.I.’s “About The Money,” and Rae Sremmurd’s “Throw Sum Mo,” among others. That same year, he released his debut solo single, “Stoner,” which was a few slots away from the Top 40 position on Billboard’s Hot 100. However, it peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Rap charts. This would only be the very beginning of a long list of successes for the rapper.
GQ Named Him ‘Best Rapper Alive’ In 2016
The years proved to get better for Young Thug. He was featured on different multiplatinum songs, including Travis Scott’s “Pick Up The Phone,” and got to collaborate on R&B legend Usher’s “No Limit.” He would also drop the mixtapes Barter 6, I’m Up, Slime Season 3, and Jeffrey, with the last three releasing in the same year. Young Thug also became the recipient of multiple BET Award nominations at the beginning of his career. However, it was clear that his star was more than rising. It had grown and was on the verge of being stamped in the stratosphere. That is perhaps what prompted GQ to pose the question in their 2016 interview with the rapper, “Exactly what planet is Young Thug from?”
At the time, the rapper was able to start requesting upwards of $50K to do a feature, according to GQ. However, it was deserving as Young Thug’s style and approach to music differed from that of any other rapper out at the time. Soon enough, he was considered the “21st Century’s most influential rapper” by the BBC.
As if wearing and flashing diamonds weren’t enough for Young Thug, he would soon be able to add “Diamond selling rapper” to his list of accomplishments. In 2018, he was featured on Camila Cabello’s worldwide smash “Havana,” which sold over 10 million copies as of 2021. This would bring on Thug’s first MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and make him a 3x American Music Award-winning rapper. Not only was he being lauded by fans and the media, but Young Thug’s peers also respected his gifts. Rapper Gunna once proclaimed him one of the best rappers living in Interview magazine. The “Pushin P” rapper explained that while anyone can “rap and make songs,” he believes that Young Thug is crafting “real songs.”
With Success Has Come Many Legal Issues
Success isn’t the only thing Young Thug has touched in his career. The Atlanta rapper has seen many troubles as well. In 2015, he was jailed for threatening to harm an individual in a mall parking garage, according to MTV News. Following 2015, the rapper was arrested in 2016, 2017, and hours before winning his first Grammy award in 2019. Who could forget the news that the ‘slime’ rapper was a co-conspirator along with Birdman in an incident that happened to Lil’ Wayne’s tour bus? And now, the rapper has been locked up while he awaits a judge’s decision in an upcoming RICO case.
Prosecutor Labeled The Rapper ‘Most Dangerous’ Defendant On Trial
In May, it was revealed that around 25 people had been indicted on various charges. In that number were rappers Gunna and Young Thug. Sadly, things aren’t looking too good for the rapper. Although multiple people came forward in the attempt to show the judge that Young Thug is an upstanding citizen, a Georgia prosecutor is saying otherwise. The prosecutor painted ‘stoner’ rapper as the most “dangerous” of the 28 defendants. He went on to claim all of the other defendants were “afraid of” the rapper and he was the one “calling the shots.” Ultimately, ‘king slime’ was denied bond and is to remain behind bars until his trial begins in January of 2023.
Prosecutor called Young Thug ‘King Slime’ and claimed he was the most dangerous of the 28 defendants pic.twitter.com/FQIcy0sd37
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) June 2, 2022
