Young Thug

Young Thug
Young Thug in 2021
Young Thug in 2021
Background information
Birth nameJeffery Lamar Williams II[1]
Also known as
  • SEX
  • King Slime
  • Thugger
  • Spider
  • Truly Humble(d) Under God
Born (1991-08-16) August 16, 1991 (age 33)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
DiscographyYoung Thug discography
Years active2010–present[5]
Labels
Member of
PartnerMariah the Scientist (2021–present)
Children6
Websitewww.youngstonerliferecords.com/young-thug.php

Jeffery Lamar Williams Jr.[6] (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug,[a] is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion,[8] he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop and trap music, and a pioneer of the mumble rap microgenre.[9][3] Williams embarked on a musical career in 2011, releasing a series of mixtapes beginning with I Came from Nothing. In 2013, he signed with fellow Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane's 1017 Records[10] and gained further attention and praise for his debut mixtape with the label, 1017 Thug, released in February of that year.[11]

Williams first received mainstream recognition in 2014 for his singles "Stoner" and "Danny Glover," in addition to his guest appearances on numerous singles, including T.I.'s "About the Money", Tyga's "Hookah", and Rich Gang's "Lifestyle". That same year, he released a mixtape with Rich Gang titled Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1, and signed a solo recording contract with 300 Entertainment, an imprint of Atlantic Records. In 2015, he amassed a number of mixtapes to critical acclaim, including Barter 6 and two installments of his Slime Season series. Throughout 2016, Williams saw continued success with the release of his commercial mixtapes I'm Up, Slime Season 3, and Jeffery.[12] In 2017, Williams guest performed on the worldwide hit "Havana" by singer Camila Cabello, which became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, he won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for his contributions to Childish Gambino's "This Is America".[13]

Williams' debut studio album, So Much Fun (2019) peaked atop the US Billboard 200 and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 top-20 singles "The London" (featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott) and "Hot" (featuring Gunna). The following year, his single "Go Crazy"—with Chris Brown, from their collaborative mixtape Slime & B (2020)—peaked at number three on the chart and became his first top-ten single as a lead artist. That same year, he peaked the chart once more for his guest appearance alongside M.I.A. on Travis Scott's single "Franchise". In 2021, he did so for a third time with his guest appearance alongside Future on Drake's "Way 2 Sexy". His second studio album, Punk was released in October of that year[14] to continued success, followed by his third studio album, Business Is Business, in 2023.[15] In addition to his solo career, he has released two compilation albums with his record label, YSL Records: Slime Language (2018) and Slime Language 2 (2021) to concurrent success; the latter debuted atop the Billboard 200.[16]

Williams was arrested in May 2022 alongside 27 members of YSL and was charged with 63 counts of illegal substance trafficking or firearm possession and for violating the Georgia RICO Act.[17] He was held without bail in the Fulton County Jail on remand and his trial began in November 2023.[18] Williams was released in October 2024 after accepting a deal which saw him plead no contest to several charges:[19][20] it resulted in him being sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation.[21][22][23]

  1. ^ "Fulton County Jail Records". Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  2. ^ "Artists: Young Thug". Vogue. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Watkins, Mike (January 15, 2018). "Young Thug is the saving grace of mumble rap". Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Ortiz, Edwin; Frydenlund, Zach; Mench, Chris; Gale, Alex; Turner, Gus; Khal; Tharpe, Frazier; Klinkenberg, Brendan; Diaz, Angel (September 7, 2016). "The 20 Best Rappers in Their 20s (Right Now)". Complex. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "TruRoyal feat. Young Thug - Im On / She Can Go x #NashMade". YouTube. July 4, 2010. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Williams, Jeffery Lamar. "Songwriter/Composer: WILLIAMS JEFFERY LAMAR". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Cowen, Trace William. "Young Thug's Lawyer Says Rapper's Name Stands for 'Truly Humbled Under God' During YSL RICO Trial". Complex.
  8. ^ Jeffries, David. "Biography - Young Thug". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Weiss, Jeff (October 21, 2019). "Why Young Thug is the 21st Century's Most Influential Rapper". BBC. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "Young Thug". Billboard. March 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "GEN F: Young Thug". The Fader. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  12. ^ Unterberger, Andrew. "Stream and Download Young Thug's 'Slime Season 3′ Mixtape". Spin Magazine. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  13. ^ Mendez, Marisa (February 11, 2019). "Young Thug Wins Grammy for Childish Gambino's "This Is America" - XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  14. ^ Ingvaldsen, Torsten (December 18, 2019). "Young Thug reveals new album is dropping in February". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 24, 2021). "Young Thug's 'Punk' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Listen To Young Thug's New Album, 'Beautiful Thugger Girls'". Noisey. June 16, 2017. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  17. ^ "Rapper Young Thug hit with additional felony charges in RICO indictment". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "Rapper Young Thug releases 'Business is Business' album while in Fulton jail awaiting RICO trial". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. June 24, 2023. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  19. ^ Debusmann Jr, Bernd (October 31, 2024). "Young Thug pleads guilty to criminal gang activity". BBC News. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  20. ^ "Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and gun charges". The Guardian. October 31, 2024. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Perry, Kevin E G (October 31, 2024). "Rapper Young Thug to be freed after pleading guilty in gang trial that's lasted two years". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  22. ^ Bailey, Holly (October 31, 2024). "Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty in YSL case in Atlanta". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  23. ^ Brumback, Kate (October 31, 2024). "Young Thug pleads guilty to charges, is sentenced in long and winding racketeering case". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 2165-1736. Retrieved October 31, 2024.


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