Young Thug facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Young Thug
Young Thug in 2021
Born	Jeffery Lamar Williams II (1991-08-16) August 16, 1991 (age 33) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Other names	King Slime Thugger Spider Truly Humble(d) Under God
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2010–present
Works	Discography
Partner(s)	Mariah the Scientist (2021–present)
Children	6
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Southern hip hop trap mumble rap progressive rap
Labels	YSL 300 Atlantic (current) Cash Money 1017 Brick Squad (former)
Signature

Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known as Young Thug, is an American rapper. He is famous for his unique voice and fashion style. Many people see him as an important artist in modern hip hop and trap music. He also helped start a style called mumble rap.

Young Thug started his music journey in 2011. He released several mixtapes, starting with I Came from Nothing. In 2013, he joined 1017 Records, a label owned by rapper Gucci Mane. His mixtape 1017 Thug brought him more attention.

In 2014, Young Thug became widely known for his song "Danny Glover." He also appeared on popular songs like T.I.'s "About the Money" and Rich Gang's "Lifestyle". He released a mixtape with Rich Gang called Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1. He also signed a solo deal with 300 Entertainment.

In 2015, he released successful mixtapes like Barter 6 and his Slime Season series. He continued to release popular mixtapes in 2016, including I'm Up and Jeffery. In 2017, he was featured on Camila Cabello's hit song "Havana." This song became his first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The next year, he won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for his work on Childish Gambino's "This Is America."

His first studio album, So Much Fun (2019), reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It included popular songs like "The London" and "Hot." In 2020, his song "Go Crazy" with Chris Brown became a top-ten hit. He also had another number-one hit with Travis Scott's "Franchise." His second album, Punk, came out in 2021, and his third, Business Is Business, in 2023. He has also released two successful albums with his record label YSL Records: Slime Language (2018) and Slime Language 2 (2021).

In 2022, Young Thug faced legal challenges. He was released in October 2024.

Early Life and Beginnings

Jeffery Lamar Williams was born on August 16, 1991, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the tenth of eleven children in his family. He grew up in the Sylvan Hills area of Atlanta. Other famous rappers like Waka Flocka Flame and Ludacris are also from that neighborhood. Young Thug's childhood friend, Peewee Longway, lived close by.

Music Career Journey

Starting Out: 2010–2013

Gucci Mane (pictured) was one of the first to sign Young Thug.

Young Thug started his music career in 2010. His first appearance was on TruRoyal's song "She Can Go." He then released three mixtapes called I Came from Nothing in 2011 and 2012. These mixtapes caught the eye of Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane. In 2013, Gucci Mane signed Young Thug to his label, 1017 Brick Squad Records.

Thug's first project with the label was his fourth mixtape, 1017 Thug. Music critics really liked this mixtape because of its fresh and original style. 1017 Thug was listed as one of the best mixtapes of 2013 by many music magazines. For example, FACT called it the best mixtape of that year.

One song from the mixtape, "Picacho," was especially popular. Even though it wasn't a single, it appeared on many "best songs of 2013" lists. In July 2013, Complex magazine named him one of the "25 New Rappers to Watch Out For."

His song "Danny Glover" also became very popular. Many other rappers made their own versions, called remixes. Young Thug wasn't always happy about these remixes. In December 2013, Thug performed at the Fool's Gold Day Off show in Miami.

Becoming Popular: 2014

In January 2014, Young Thug shared that he was offered a lot of money to join Future's Freebandz record label. There was also talk about him signing with Cash Money Records and its CEO, Birdman. However, it was later clarified that he signed a management deal with Birdman's Rich Gang, not a full record deal. He stayed with 1017 Brick Squad.

In 2014, Thug also recorded songs with Kanye West. Kanye West praised Thug for how quickly he could create new music. Young Thug announced he was working on mixtapes with other rappers like Rich Homie Quan and Chief Keef. He was also featured on the cover of The Fader magazine in March 2014.

He announced that his first album would be called Carter 6. This was a nod to the famous Tha Carter album series by Lil Wayne, who was a big influence on Young Thug. He also started working on a joint album with producer Metro Boomin, called Metro Thuggin.

On June 17, 2014, it was confirmed that Young Thug officially signed with 300 Entertainment. His popular song "Danny Glover" was officially released by Asylum and Atlantic Records on July 1, 2014. Rolling Stone magazine called Young Thug the "most exciting new voice of hip-hop" in December 2014.

New Mixtapes: 2015–2016

Young Thug performing in 2016.

In 2015, many of Young Thug's unreleased songs were leaked online. His first album was supposed to be called Carter 6, honoring Lil Wayne. But Lil Wayne was not happy about this. So, Young Thug changed the name to Barter 6 and said it would be a mixtape, not his first album. He later announced his official debut album would be called Hy!£UN35, which means "HiTunes."

In May 2015, Young Thug clarified that he manages himself and is signed with Atlantic Records. He said Birdman is his friend, but he is only signed to Atlantic. To deal with the leaked songs, he released two popular mixtapes: Slime Season and Slime Season 2.

In June 2015, Young Thug shared that he and Kanye West talked about making an album together. Thug said Kanye was impressed by his music. Young Thug later appeared on Kanye West's 2016 album The Life of Pablo.

On February 4, 2016, Young Thug released another mixtape called I'm Up. On March 26, 2016, he released Slime Season 3, which was the last in that series. Young Thug went on a tour in the United States in May 2016, called the Hi-Tunes tour.

More Albums and Collaborations: 2016–2018

Young Thug was part of Calvin Klein's Fall 2016 fashion campaign. On July 9, 2016, he announced his mixtape Jeffery was coming soon. For one week during the release of Jeffery, he changed his name to Jeffery. The album cover showed Young Thug in a unique dress, which became very popular online. In November 2016, he started his own record label called YSL Records.

In March 2017, Thug was featured on Drake's songs "Sacrifices" and "Ice Melts." He also appeared on Calvin Harris' song "Heatstroke" with Ariana Grande and Pharrell Williams. In April 2017, Young Thug announced his mixtape Beautiful Thugger Girls, which was released on June 16, 2017.

In August, he was featured on Camila Cabello's single "Havana." This song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his first number-one hit. In October 2017, Thug released a mixtape with Future called Super Slimey.

In 2018, Young Thug released the song "Ride for Me." He also released an EP (a shorter album) called Hear No Evil in April 2018. Young Thug helped write and sang background vocals on Childish Gambino's "This Is America." This song also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In August 2018, he released another album called Slime Language.

Studio Albums and Big Hits: 2019–Present

On May 23, 2019, Young Thug released the song "The London" with rappers J. Cole and Travis Scott. He also announced his first studio album, which was first called Gold Mouf Dog. On July 19, 2019, he changed the album name to So Much Fun. The album was released on August 16, 2019, which was his 28th birthday. It featured many guest artists. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200.

On October 31, 2019, the song "Hot" from the album became a second single. It featured Gunna and later a remix with Travis Scott. Both "The London" and "Hot" were top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Slime & B, his 2020 album with Chris Brown (pictured), included the hit song "Go Crazy."

On April 29, 2020, Young Thug and singer Chris Brown announced their album together, Slime & B. It was released on May 5, 2020. The main song from the album, "Go Crazy", reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. This was Thug's highest-charting song as a main artist. On September 25, Thug was featured on Travis Scott's song "Franchise." This song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Thug his second number-one hit.

On April 16, 2021, YSL Records, Young Thug, and Gunna released their second album, Slime Language 2. This album also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It featured many guest artists.

In July 2021, Young Thug announced his second studio album, Punk, would be released on October 15, 2021. In September 2021, Thug reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third time. This was for his feature on "Way 2 ..." from Drake's album Certified Lover Boy. On October 15, Thug released his album Punk.

In June 2023, Young Thug released his third studio album, Business Is Business. This was his first project released since his legal challenges began in May 2022.

Musical Style and Fashion

Young Thug is known for his unique and sometimes hard-to-understand vocal style. Critics have praised his "extraordinarily distinctive" approach to rapping. Billboard noted how he changes and warps his voice in creative ways. Complex mentioned his skill at making catchy song parts.

Young Thug often creates music very quickly. He tends to make up his songs on the spot in the studio. He doesn't write down lyrics on paper. Instead, he sometimes plans his lyrics by drawing shapes and signs. He has said he can write a hit song in just ten minutes.

Young Thug has said that American rapper Lil Wayne is his biggest idol and influence. He also looks up to his mentor Gucci Mane and Kanye West.

Vibe Magazine has called Young Thug "one of the most unpredictable, charismatic, and outlandish personalities in hip hop today." He is also seen as a "fashion icon." Some have compared his style to famous artists like David Bowie and Prince.

Personal Life

Young Thug has six children. In April 2015, he became engaged to Jerrika Karlae. She runs a swimsuit company. Thug bought his first home in September 2016 in Buckhead, Atlanta. It is a large house with many rooms.

In 2021, Thug started dating Atlanta singer Mariah the Scientist.

Helping Others

In December 2016, Young Thug joined the #fightpovertyagain campaign. This showed his support for helping people in need.

Discography

Studio albums

• So Much Fun (2019)
• Punk (2021)
• Business Is Business (2023)

Awards and Nominations