Young Thug is an American rapper born on August 16, 1991. He is celebrated for his unique vocal style and bold fashion choices. He’s widely recognized as a major influence in today’s hip-hop and trap music scenes and is credited with pioneering the mumble rap genre.
Williams launched his music career in 2011 starting with a series of mixtapes like ‘I Came from Nothing’. His big break came in 2013 when he signed with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records where his debut mixtape ‘1017 Thug’ gained him significant acclaim.
Young Thug gained mainstream attention in 2014 with hits like “Stoner” and “Danny Glover” and featured on popular tracks such as T.I.’s “About the Money”, Tyga‘s “Hookah”, and Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle”. He continued to make waves in 2015 with well-received mixtapes such as ‘Barter 6’ and ‘Slime Season’ series.
In 2017, Young Thug reached new heights with his feature on Camila Cabello’s global hit “Havana” which became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. He later won a Grammy Award for his work on Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2018.
His debut studio album ‘So Much Fun’ (2019) topped the US Billboard 200 chart and produced hit singles like “The London” and “Hot”. In 2020, his collaboration with Chris Brown on “Go Crazy” became his first top-ten single as a lead artist. Young Thug continued his success with features on Travis Scott‘s “Franchise” and Drake‘s “Way 2 Sexy”.
Young Thug has also released albums under his record label YSL Records including ‘Slime Language’ (2018) and ‘Slime Language 2’ (2021) which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
However, since May 2022, Young Thug has faced serious legal issues including charges under the Georgia RICO Act and numerous counts related to illegal substances and firearms. He remains in custody at Fulton County Jail without bail with his third studio album ‘Business Is Business’ released during this period.
| Full Name | Jeffery Lamar Williams |
| Date of Birth | August 16, 1991 |
| Place of Birth | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter |
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) |
| Partners | Jerrika Karlae Mariah |
| Children | 6 |
| Net Worth | $4 million |
Young Thug’s Early Life
Jeffery Lamar Williams known professionally as Young Thug was born on August 16, 1991, in Atlanta Georgia. He grew up in Sylvan Hills and later in the Jonesboro South projects near Cleveland Avenue. Some other famous rappers from Jonesboro South include Waka Flocka, Flame, Ludacris, and Young Thug’s childhood friend Peewee Longway who lived just a few doors away from him.
Young Thug has shared in interviews that he was expelled from school in sixth grade after breaking a teacher’s arm. As a result, he spent four years in juvenile prison.
Career
Young Thug started his music career in 2010 with a guest spot on rapper TruRoyal’s track “She Can Go”. He gained attention after releasing three mixtapes called “I Came from Nothing” in 2011 and 2012. Then Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane signed him to his label 1017 Brick Squad Records in 2013. Thug’s fourth mixtape 1017 Thug came out under this label and was praised by critics for its unique style. It made it onto many “Best of 2013” lists by publications like Pitchfork and Complex.
Young Thug’s track “Picacho” from the mixtape was especially well-liked even though it wasn’t released as a single. The song appeared on several year-end lists as one of the top tracks of 2013. In July 2013, Complex listed him as one of the “25 New Rappers to Watch Out For”. Later that year he dropped his debut commercial single “Stoner” which sparked numerous unofficial remixes by various artists.
His song “Danny Glover” also received several remixes from artists like Waka Flocka Flame and Nicki Minaj. In October 2013, Young Thug collaborated with Metro Boomin on the album 19 & Boomin featuring tracks like “Some More”. He continued to make waves in the music scene performing at events like Fool’s Gold Day Off in Miami alongside other artists.
Pitchfork ranked 1017 Thug as one of the best albums of the early 2010s highlighting its impact. In early 2014 Young Thug turned down an $8.5 million offer to sign with Future‘s Freebandz label. There was speculation about him joining Cash Money Records but it was clarified that he signed a management deal with Birdman’s Rich Gang not a record deal.
During 2014 Young Thug worked on collaborations with Kanye West and announced upcoming mixtapes with artists like Rich Homie Quan and Chief Keef. His debut album was initially planned to be titled Carter 6 inspired by Lil Wayne‘s Tha Carter series. He also revealed plans for a joint album with Metro Boomin called “Metro Thuggin”. Throughout the year he continued to release new music and gained attention from major publications like The Fader and Rolling Stone.
In mid-2014, he officially signed with 300 Entertainment a label co-founded by Kevin Liles and Lyor Cohen. That year several of his tracks were released by various record labels solidifying his growing influence in hip-hop. By the end of 2014, Rolling Stone hailed Young Thug as the “most exciting new voice of hip-hop” and a rising star in the genre. Music critic Robert Christgau also named his collaborative mixtape Black Portland with Bloody Jay as one of the top albums of the year.
In 2015, a bunch of data breaches leaked many unreleased songs from Young Thug’s collection online. His first album was supposed to be called Carter 6 as a nod to Lil Wayne’s upcoming Carter V. Lil Wayne wasn’t thrilled with this tribute and told his fans to stop listening to Young Thug. After threats of legal action Young Thug changed the album’s name to Barter 6 calling it a mixtape instead of his official debut.
Later in April 2015, Young Thug announced that his real debut album would be called Hy!£UN35 which translates to “HiTunes”.
In May 2015, there was confusion about which labels Young Thug was connected to. He clarified that he managed himself and was signed exclusively with Atlantic Records despite previous affiliations with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records, Future’s Freebandz, Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment, and Birdman’s Rich Gang. He also mentioned plans for another mixtape before releasing his album called Tha Carter V.
To counteract more leaks of his unreleased tracks, Young Thug released popular mixtapes called “Slime Season” and “Slime Season 2”. In mid-2015, he revealed discussions with Kanye West about making a joint album together with Kanye being impressed by his music.
In July 2015, 300 Entertainment put out a promotional single called “Pacifier” to support Young Thug’s upcoming debut album HiTunes. Critics noted the song’s unique vocal style. Young Thug continued to release more music including mixtapes like I’m Up and Slime Season 3 which marked the end of his leaked material phase.
From 2016 to 2018, Young Thug released various projects like the mixtape Jeffery which gained attention for its cover featuring him in a dress and started his record label called YSL Records. He collaborated with artists such as Drake, Calvin Harris, and Camila Cabello and also worked on projects like Beautiful Thugger Girls and Super Slimey.
In 2018, he continued to stay active in music releasing singles and EPs like Hear No Evil and participating in major hits like Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”. He also dropped the compilation album Slime Language in August 2018.
Young Thug’s music journey in recent years has been eventful. On May 23, 2019, he dropped “The London” featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott and announced his debut studio album initially named Gold Mouf Dog. By July 19 2019 it was renamed So Much Fun. The album released on August 16 2019 his 28th birthday featured many artists and topped the Billboard 200.
Later in 2019, Young Thug performed “Hot” with Gunna and Travis Scott on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. This track became a standout from his album. In December a deluxe version of the album came out adding more tracks and collaborations.
In 2020, he teamed up with Chris Brown for the mixtape Slime & B released on May 5, 2020. It included hits like “Go Crazy” his most successful single as a lead artist reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year he appeared on Travis Scott’s “Franchise” another chart-topper.
In 2021, Young Thug along with Gunna and YSL Records released Slime Language 2 which also hit number one on the Billboard 200. The album featured a slew of big names and was supported by singles like “Take It to Trial” and “That Go!” He also began teasing his second studio album Punk which dropped on October 15, 2021.
Moving into 2023, Young Thug released his third studio album Business is Business featuring Drake, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and others. The album marked his return to music following a hiatus after his 2022 arrest.
Young Thug’s career has been marked by prolific releases and collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop consistently making waves in the music industry.
Net Worth
Young Thug has an estimated net worth of $4 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Young Thug’s net worth comes from his successful career as a rapper and music artist. He earns money from record sales, streaming royalties, concerts, and endorsements. His popularity in the music industry has been a big factor in building his wealth.
Personal life
Young Thug has six kids with four different women: three boys and three girls. He became a dad when he was just 17 years old. In April 2015, he got engaged to Jerrika Karlae who runs a swimsuit line and whose mom managed the late Young Dolph.
After his mixtape Jeffery came out in September 2016 Thug bought his first house in Buckhead Atlanta. It’s huge with over 11000 square feet six bedrooms 11 bathrooms a full bar a theater room and a four-car garage.
When Thug was young one of his older brothers was shot and killed right in front of their family home. In April 2020 during a livestreamed concert, Thug talked about a recent near-death experience. He said he felt so weak he couldn’t move and had to call an ambulance. At the hospital, he found out he had liver and kidney failure and felt like he had almost died.
In December 2020, Thug and Jerrika Karlae broke up. Then in 2021, he started dating Atlanta singer Mariah the Scientist.
Thug has also been involved in charity work. In December 2016 he joined the #fightpovertyagain campaign. In June 2017 he donated all the money from a sold-out concert to Planned Parenthood explaining on Twitter that he supports both planned and unplanned parenthood because he was a teenage parent himself.
Legal issues
In April 2015, Young Thug was named in a lawsuit when a tour bus carrying Lil Wayne was shot at by members of a street gang called the Bloods. The bus driver sued Young Thug along with Cash Money Records Young Money Records and Birdman.
In January 2017, another lawsuit was filed against Young Thug after he didn’t show up for a concert he was contracted to perform which cost $55000. This wasn’t the first time such a lawsuit had been filed; a Texas production company had sued him in April 2016 for missing another concert.
In April 2017, Young Thug was accused of slapping a woman outside a nightclub. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. The incident occurred when the woman was arguing with Young Thug’s fiancée Jerrika Karlae.
Also in April 2017, Young Thug faced serious charges related to drugs and guns after a police raid on his home in Sandy Springs Georgia. His lawyers argued the search was illegal leading most charges to be dropped except for felony marijuana possession.
In September 2017, Young Thug was arrested in Brookhaven Georgia on charges of drug possession and possessing a firearm. He was released on bond three days later. Then in September 2018, he faced additional charges related to drugs and firearms from his previous arrest.
On May 9, 2022, Young Thug was arrested again in Atlanta on charges related to his association with a gang. He and Gunna were part of a group charged with multiple offenses under Georgia’s RICO Act. Following a search of his home he faced more charges related to illegal substances and firearms. He has been held in jail since then denied bond several times.
On November 27, 2023, Young Thug’s trial for state RICO charges officially started with five others also on trial with him. The trial was briefly delayed in December 2023 after a co-defendant was stabbed in jail. It resumed in January 2024.
