Young Thug

Young Thug has six children, three sons and three daughters, with four women. He became a father at 17. He was engaged to Jerrika Karlae, whose engagement ended in December 2020, and began dating singer-songwriter Mariah the Scientist in 2021. They became engaged in December 2025.

During his childhood, one of his older brothers was shot and killed in front of the family home. In 2020, Young Thug described a serious health crisis involving liver and kidney failure and said he had temporarily been unable to move.

Young Thug began his musical career with a guest appearance on TruRoyal's song "She Can Go" and released the I Came from Nothing mixtape series between 2011 and 2012. His work attracted the attention of Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane, who signed him to 1017 Brick Squad Records in 2013.

His label debut, 1017 Thug, was released in February 2013 and received critical praise for its originality. The mixtape appeared on year-end lists from Pitchfork, Complex, Fact, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian. His 2013 songs "Stoner" and "Danny Glover" helped establish his early audience.

Young Thug gained wider recognition in 2014 through "Stoner," "Danny Glover," and guest appearances on T.I.'s "About the Money," Tyga's "Hookah," and Rich Gang's "Lifestyle." He also released Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 with the Rich Gang collective and signed with 300 Entertainment.

His 2015 projects included Barter 6, Slime Season, and Slime Season 2. He followed them with I'm Up, Slime Season 3, and Jeffery in 2016. The cover of Jeffery, which showed him wearing a dress designed by Alessandro Trincone, became a major part of his public image. In 2017, he released Beautiful Thugger Girls, collaborated with Future on Super Slimey, and appeared on Camila Cabello's "Havana," his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single.

Young Thug co-wrote and provided background vocals for Childish Gambino's "This Is America," which won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. He also founded the YSL Records imprint and released the label compilation albums Slime Language in 2018 and Slime Language 2 in 2021. The latter debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

His debut studio album, So Much Fun, was released in 2019 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Its songs included "The London" with J. Cole and Travis Scott and "Hot" featuring Gunna. Young Thug and Chris Brown released the collaborative mixtape Slime & B in 2020, whose single "Go Crazy" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. His subsequent studio albums were Punk in 2021, Business Is Business in 2023, and UY Scuti in 2025.

Young Thug's music combines rapping, singing, melodic hooks, vocal effects, and improvisation. His delivery has been described as eccentric and highly distinctive, with slurs, shouts, whines, and rapid changes in tone. He has said that he can develop a hit song quickly and has been known to freestyle in the studio rather than write lyrics on paper.

His fashion has similarly challenged conventional hip-hop presentation. He has worn dresses, painted fingernails, and other unconventional clothing, and appeared in Calvin Klein's 2016 fall fashion campaign. He has cited Lil Wayne as his biggest musical influence, while also identifying Gucci Mane and Kanye West as influences.

In May 2022, Young Thug was arrested in Atlanta as part of a 56-count Georgia RICO indictment involving 28 people associated with YSL. He also faced additional charges involving illegal substances and firearms. His state criminal trial began in November 2023 and continued for more than a year.

On October 31, 2024, Young Thug accepted a plea deal and was released after receiving a sentence involving time served and 15 years of probation. The conditions included restrictions on gang-related music, a ban from the Metro Atlanta area for 10 years, and annual anti-gang presentations or concerts in Atlanta.