Amid a fast-paced rollout for his forthcoming album UY Scuti, Young Thug finally opened up about his legal troubles over the past three years.
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Georgia prosecutors indicted the Young Stoner Life label head along with dozens of others in May 2022 on RICO charges. They alleged that YSL operated as more than just a label, accusing it of serving as a front for a criminal gang involved in murders and drug trafficking.
After spending over two years in jail without bail, Thugger pleaded guilty to six gang and racketeering charges in November 2024 during what became the longest trial in Georgia’s history.
Thugger Believes That He’s ‘Bigger Than Jail’
Despite the recent turmoil, Young Thug says the fact that his trial was the longest in Georgia’s history made him feel good about himself. “I just feel big,” he told GQ in a recent interview. “I feel like I’m one of the biggest stars.”
Thug revealed that the immense media attention, in addition to the two years in isolation, gave him a different perspective on his influence.
“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,’” he recalled. “My lawyer, Brian Steel, he always told me every day, like, ‘Bro, you got to know. You got to know.’ And then me just sitting in the cell every night alone, it was just kind of like, ‘I’m big.’”
Although the experience left him feeling empowered, Thug insists he pleaded guilty only to avoid a harsher sentence, not because he was guilty.
Young Thug Pledges To Set A Better Example For Fans
“Just pleading to something you know that you didn’t do is crazy,” he said. “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 s—t, go home.”
Now, Young Thug is refocusing on music. He appeared on Playboi Carti’s new album Music in March and dropped a new track, “Money On Money” featuring Future, last week. He plans to release UY Scuti on May 9.
However, Thug acknowledges that he will need to choose his words carefully going forward, as a condition of his probation. He believes prosecutors weaponized his “street stuff” during the trial but says he’s received the message and is committed to setting a better example through his music.
“Because just the impact that you got on the community, the youth,” he said. “Not because of the law. More so just like realistically kids actually listen to us. Like, all right, we got to dumb it down some.”
