Young Thug got a big lift from Travis Scott, Ken Carson and his Atlanta hip-hop predecessor T.I. tonight (June 22) during his first major live appearance since being released from prison in October 2024. His set capped the three-day Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash festival outside Chicago and, beyond the guest spots, also featured several live debuts, rarities and covers.
The set opened with two songs from the influential 2021 compilation Slime Language 2 (“Take It to Trial” and “Slatty”) and then moved into favorites such as “Killed Before,” “Jumped Out the Window,” “Sup Mate” and the live debut of “Jonesboro” from the 2023 album BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. Scott appeared 15 songs into the show, rattling off his verse from “Hot” and then lighting up the crowd with his trademark “FEIN.”
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Introduced by Thug as an “old head,” T.I. turned back the clock with “About the Money,” which was one of Thug’s first major guest appearances as a rising young artist back in 2014. In a nod to both the present and the future, he brought out Ken Carson for the live debut of their new song “R.I.P Scuti,” which is expected to appear on Thug’s long-awaited new album, UY Scuti, this summer.
The set wound down with a cover of Lil Baby’s “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber” and “Money on Money,” the Future-featuring first song released ahead of the upcoming album.
Prior to gaining his freedom, Young Thug was in jail since his May 2022 arrest for allegedly leading the street gang YSL. With his return to the stage complete, he’ll perform next month at festivals in Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland and Poland.
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