Young Thug season has begun. The Atlanta rapper is in full album rollout mode, having announced his new LP, UY Scuti, and released the lead single “Money on Money” with Future. On Friday (April 25), GQ magazine released a video cover story featuring Thug in his first interview since his release from jail last October after pleading guilty in the YSL RICO case and being sentenced to 15 years of probation. Thug conducted the interview while wearing a mask and one of the oddest outfits ever. Here are some of the most surprising reveals from the sit-down, which can be viewed in full below.
- On Why He’s Wearing That Crazy Outfit
“I don’t feel like people should see me…F**king reconstruct. Like, do something with the mask. Get a clear vision. Just, like, I don’t know, hidden scars. Just hiding things, you know?” - On Why He Named His Album UY Scuti
“I just feel big, you know. The name of my album UY Scuti. I feel like I’m one of the biggest stars. I did a lot. Foundating this culture. The new rap game that’s happening right now. I’m out of this world. Not like God, though.” - On Lyrics Being Used Against Him in Trial
“It felt kind of crazy and cool because it’s like, oh, everybody listens to me. But crazy, like, the first f**king amendment is freedom of speech…I normally rap about cool things. I just got a few lyrics where I rap about street stuff and those are the lyrics they try to use against me. Most of the time, I don’t rap about that type of stuff.” - On Probation Stipulations on His Music
“I can’t do gang things on the internet. I can really talk about what I want to talk about in the music.” - On Being in Jail for Two Years
“It was real. Don’t want to deal with it again. [I thought about] family, kids, career was last. That was irrelevant…I think I’m too big for jail. But I think I’m not to big for God. I think it was God showing me situations, real friends, and who you is and who with you. How to move. How to be. Because you are UY Scuti.” - On Why He Chose to Plead Guilty
“Pleading guilty to something you know you didn’t do is crazy. But you get a chance to keep fighting and worry about the jurors’ fate or you just go ’head now and go home.” - On the Current State of Hip-Hop
“I think everybody is rapping about the same thing. And nobody is bringing something that you can actually watch. You can enjoy the music and enjoy the things that they do but we used to make movies.” - On Being Banned From Atlanta
“Can’t go home. It’s crazy. It just feels like abuse.” - On Being Name-Dropped in “Not Like Us”
“I don’t know what that was about, but you know I’m a Drake fan.” - On His Relationship With Gunna
“I know everybody wonder about it. I don’t know.”
Read More: Young Thug Plans to Revamp How He Talks After Fan’s Tattoo of Wrong Lyrics Goes Viral
Check out Young Thug’s first post-jail interview below.