TIA: Since his earliest mixtapes in 2011, we’ve seen Young Thug transform hip-hop,
carving a place for himself in the rap game with his distinct sound, unmistakable flow,
and fashion sense.
SWAY: How would you describe your style?
THUG: Impeccable.
TIA: As Thugger’s flow has become more of a staple over the years, we’ve also seen a few
people sample his style.
TIA: But a lot of the rappers today directly credit Young Thug as their inspiration.
JADEN: Thug is just amazing he’s such an individual and he just pushes boundaries and
that’s how I knew that we were destined to do something together.
LIL BABY: Thug like, workaholic, like studio all day, every day.
Songs.
So I know that’s what it takes to do what you gotta do.
TIA: Early on in his career, Thug linked with his mentor and fellow Atlanta native, Gucci Mane.
THUG: I just was rapping and shit when I came out he was like boy.
He was amazed he was like, you write music?
I was like nah.
He was like yeah, you lethal.
TIA: Thugger’s earliest projects, like his ‘I Came From Nothing’ tapes gained
a lot of attention and helped the rapper come into his own in terms of crafting his flow.
TIA: The artist’s early associations also included Rich Gang, a rap collective boasting
Birdman and Young Thug’s former collaborator Rich Homie Quan.
In 2014, both rappers were featured on Rich Gang’s hit “Lifestyle,” which peaked
at #16 on the Hot 100.
TIA: 2014 also brought Young Thug one of his earliest solo hits, “Stoner.”
The track brought his flow to the attention of a much wider audience, peaking at #13 on
the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
TIA: That, coupled with other early hits like “Best Friend” and “Check,” brought
Thug’s garbled sound and ad libs to the forefront of rap.
TIA: From his earliest days in the game, what stood out about Thug was how he rapped,
and whether or not you could actually understand what he was saying.
In 2017, Genius spoke to a linguist who explained the science behind his bars.
PROF: It’s what we in linguistics call ‘reduction in speech,’ it’s what people do when
they're not self-monitoring, they're not performing for someone else, not hyper-articulating.
What he’s delivering, then, is a more natural, authentic kind of speech.
TIA: And it wasn't just Thugger's music, he also flaunted his fashion sense by wearing
a purple skirt on the cover of his 2016 album 'JEFFERY.'
TIA: And even though he wasn’t the first male performer to do it, his wardrobe has
made him somewhat of a style icon in rap.
THUG: I created this shit, I made the wave for young niggas to open up and be themself. I did this.
TIA: Since 'JEFFERY,' Thugger’s collaborated with many of his own proteges.
In 2018, he dropped his long-awaited projects 'Slime Language' and 'On The Rvn.'
TIA: But no matter the project or the outfit, it’s clear that Young Thug is one of a kind.
I’m Tia with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.