I Did It Once Then I Did It Again Young Thug
"Let's do this south–t!" Young Thug bellows as he enters an Atlanta photo studio just later on midnight, with Gunna by his side. They are five hours late to their photo shoot, but their laughter is infectious as they swoop in to save the day, and the mood in the room seems to instantly relax when the crew hears the bounce in Thug'south voice.
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The term "fashionably late" couldn't be more apt for the Young Stoner Life label stars. Draped in a brusque-sleeve denim jacket, a spry Thug towers over everyone at 6 anxiety, 3 inches, courteously greeting those in attendance, so joking about the size of his too-small-scale shared dressing room. Gunna briskly walks in behind him, exuding the aforementioned Southern warmth — handshakes, hugs. "This room pocket-sized every bit s–t," Gunna says with a chuckle before sitting downwards, ready to tell his story next to the man who helped modify it.
Immature Thug and Gunna'due south hip-hop distinction predates the pandemic, each with top 10 hits and A-listing collaborations. Even so over the by 12 months, Thug's YSL, which formed as an imprint under 300 Amusement in 2016 and signed Gunna that twelvemonth, has proved to exist a formidable force in hip-hop, anchored by contempo nautical chart successes. And with iii No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 in the past 12 months — terminal year'southward YSL label group release Slime Language 2, then Thug'due south rock-tinged opus Punk and, finally, Gunna'southward early-2022 boom DS4Ever — Gunna and Thug are making a compelling case for themselves as the best duo in the genre.
"Information technology'due south Batman and Robin," 300 Entertainment chairman/CEO Kevin Liles told Billboard in January. "If one needs to atomic number 82, one leads; if one needs to follow, the other one follows."
After meeting in 2015, when Thug was quickly developing into a mixtape phenom out of Atlanta, the pair formed a shut-knit bond. For Higher Park resident Gunna, choosing to sign with one of Atlanta's biggest rap heroes was a no-brainer. "He was already on TV," says Gunna, 28, of his thirty-yr-quondam YSL dominate. "So we already looked at him similar he was a star that made it."
Thug'due south elastic period, Southern drawl and kooky lyrics fabricated him stand out from a crowded Atlanta scene, and his eccentric fashion choices — including the dress he wore past Italian manner designer Alessandro Trincone on the encompass of the 2016 mixtape JEFFERY — cemented his reputation every bit a hazard-taker. He experimented sonically also: His 2017 mixtape, Beautiful Thugger Girls, had flashes of pop brilliance, which culminated in his "Havana" collaboration with Camila Cabello hit No. one on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. His 2019 official debut anthology, So Much Fun, was gratis-spirited maximalist rap bursting with colorful puns and became Thug's first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. By comparison, final year'southward follow-up, Punk, was a rock-leaning foray — Thug was joined past Blink-182's Travis Barker, fun.'south Nate Ruess and Gunna for a Sabbatum Night Alive performance last fall — but still debuted in the top spot.
Thug'southward music also influenced Gunna'due south own fearlessness. Post-obit his breakout moment alongside Lil Infant on their 2018 joint mixtape, Drip Harder, Gunna showcased his solo prowess on his 2020 sophomore album, Wunna. He toyed with different vocal furnishings while maintaining his pristine, lush trap sound, and Wunna debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the aid of the top 40 Hot 100 hit "Dollaz on My Head," featuring none other than Thug.
But Gunna'southward biggest win was still to come: At the top of this yr, Wunna follow-upwardly DS4Ever defeated The Weeknd's Dawn FM in a head-to-head matchup on the Billboard 200. Give some credit to the 16th alphabetic character of the alphabet: "Pushin P," featuring Thug and Time to come, became a peak 10 hitting on the Hot 100, with the "P button" emoji — brusk for "player," signifying anything that keeps information technology existent — entering the cultural lexicon. Nike, IHOP, Wingstop, Kim Kardashian and even the Teletubbies tapped into the online craze. "Pushin P," along with the anthology's Drake-assisted "P Ability" that dropped belatedly in its debut chart week, helped Gunna secure the No. ane spot.
"Along with being prepared, when somebody throws an audible, it's nearly having the right team in place," says Gunna'south managing director, Ebonie Ward, of the "P" mania. Over the last several years, Gunna has assembled an all-too-rare squad led by Black women, with Ward, 300 Entertainment's Rayna Bass in marketing and The Lede Company'due south Courtni Asbury in publicity. "It's admirable and something he's extremely proud of that he has been able to put his career in the hands of intelligent and very capable women," Ward says. "He has been able to put his trust in all of us to execute his dreams."
Following YSL's partnership with 300 Entertainment, Thug signed myriad rising artists in addition to Gunna, including Lil Keed, Strick and Nechie — all of whom were showcased alongside their label dominate on Slime Language 2. As Gunna ascends, Thug, a father of half dozen, is thinking about his long game every bit an executive. "[Thug'south] grade of leadership is something I've e'er looked upwardly to," says Geoff Ogunlesi, 300 Entertainment vp of A&R and YSL Records vice president. "He's the leader that knows the fine line between 'let me lead by showing you' and 'permit me lead by telling you lot.' " Now Thug and Gunna are showing how to atomic number 82 the conversation in mainstream hip-hop.
What beginning impressed you about Gunna that fabricated you want to sign him to Young Stoner Life?
Young Thug: The fact that he wasn't really star-struck. He was quiet, cool, a chill n—a that wasn't trying to do likewise much. Just chilling back and relaxing. That'south how nosotros actually got super close, though: It just took nights in the studio, like four or five in the morning, merely riding this motherf–ker out. (To Gunna.) I taught you that the studio was like a home.
Gunna: "This could exist your spot, come hang at the studio." That'south how it is now. Nosotros at the studio every day. The studio is my spot. If I get home, the studio's downstairs. I can't run from information technology.
What was it about Thug and how he treats his family that yous wait up to?
Gunna: Everything in the world nearly [his] kids. I could not have kids yet because I see what he does for them and how much he's there, watching how he raised all of them. That's what he been doing, that'south what he hustled for. Even though I ain't got no kids, I'm nonetheless hustling for my kids. I know for sure that I gotta have a legacy. Generational wealth — we gotta be more than rich.
Thug, how do you balance being a male parent, artist, executive and mode icon all at one time?
Thug: It'southward about being gangsta. I call up I'thou gangsta enough to the point where I just be more so myself. I don't really have problems dealing with all that. The hardest thing to bargain with is coming from poverty and making everybody love yous. That's harder than family. Family unit, you're born into that. Y'all don't acquire nothing about family in school. That's natural instinct.
Gunna: We don't got family unit classes. Why is that?
Thug: You could accept no encephalon. I'm pretty sure ants know family. Every species. It's just in you. Coming from what we come from to making it, bruh, that's the hardest thing. That s–t harder than dying. That s–t harder than decease.
Gunna: Lions know family.
YSL scored three No. i albums in the last 12 months. What does that success mean for the civilization?
Thug: We monetizing each other and family. Because of the pandemic and wack-ass presidents and all this fraud-donkey southward–t, I retrieve the world is finally getting back to wanting real s–t, and nosotros always been pushing that. Nosotros pushed this s–t 10 years directly, and the world is trying to go back to this.
What did you lot learn about yourselves during the pandemic?
Gunna: I remember I constitute out how to do more fun, cool south–t at the [house]. I started doing different colors in the rooms, and I started setting little vibes. I might have a fiddling hookah room. We just cranking different vibes when you lot pulled up during the pandemic.
Thug: I learned that I'm P, but I'chiliad a house northward—a. I learned that I actually like being bored. I want to simply be sitting in the room while everyone having fun. That's what I learned nearly myself.
Gunna: This north—a [Thug] exist at home a lot. He like existence at home in Atlanta. He really an old-school north—a. He ain't 34 or 35 just notwithstanding, merely he only talks with wisdom and south–t, and he dropping jewels every time he talk.
Thug: What I learned nigh [Gunna] is that he learned about himself. I learned that he figured out who he was. I just sit back and pay attending to [Gunna], and he know himself. (To Gunna.) The way I saw you in 2017 is how you is right now, simply you didn't encounter that back and then. You done figured out who you really was. Nobody got to talk to you lot ever again. Y'all know exactly what to do and how your clothes demand to exist. You learned yourself.
Thug, what is information technology about Atlanta that has the hip-hop civilisation on tap?
Thug: Nosotros just the quickest adapters. Everybody from New York still New York. You lot got Atlanta north—s that sound like New York north—south, you lot got some Atlanta north—s that wait like Miami due north—s, you lot got some Atlanta due north—south living in Los Angeles. New York is just New York. That's the No. 1 reason we gonna have it for a minute. We accommodate, and we pay attention to the charts, we meet drill beats, and the New York sound going crazy right now. We gonna adjust and get on it.
Gunna, DS4Ever was your 3rd No. ane album. Did it feel differently for you lot?
Gunna: Yeah, I feel this one considering I had an opponent [The Weeknd] that was a pop star. I also feel similar my album was predictable. DS4 had everyone waiting on this s–t, and information technology had been a while, and I was teasing this s–t. [Lead single] "Too Easy" was anticipated as f–k for the album. I was already fix. I had two or three videos ready, but it was clutch timing and just waiting on that window.
Did you foresee "Pushin P" existence such a cultural movement?
Gunna: No, only we knew it would happen. People are just catching on more and more. It's nothing that we ain't been doing. We were "Pushin P" earlier the vocal got made. Atlanta was already "Pushin P" before the song came out. That's why we like, "We P'southward." It's still lifestyle s–t.
Talk virtually your influence on the way game. How have you guys been able to intertwine the worlds of rap and fashion so easily?
Thug: When yous acquire fashion, you larn that information technology's just about non giving a f–k. Loftier fashion is all about not giving a f–grand and not caring and beingness open-minded to everything. At the end of the twenty-four hours, what y'all say don't matter about me. How y'all feel about me don't affair. Due north—a, I'm having money. It wouldn't even matter if I didn't have money. You not up there in heaven with God. God don't tell you lot what button to printing. At that place'southward nothing yous could stop, so it don't matter. That'south how we look at it. What matter is, nosotros chosen and nosotros genuine and pure. That's what matters.
Thug, information technology's hard to picture yous always retiring from rapping, but practise you lot take a time frame in mind where mayhap yous'll just focus on the executive side?
Thug: Yep. I just don't desire to be a certain age and even so rapping. I'd rather kickoff doing a different thing. It own't fifty-fifty nigh nobody else, information technology'due south merely about me and my integrity and how I desire to be looked at. Why would I exist 45 or 50 years old trying to record albums? When I'm fifty years old, I know 80% of the globe is motherf–male monarch 15 to 24. What the f–1000 am I trying to make an album at 50 for? Why? I'll sell a vocal to Chanel when I'thou 45 or 50. I'll send iii or four songs to Balmain. As far as trying to rap, f–chiliad no, I own't doing it. It's not [that I have] a problem with it, it's a problem with me doing it. I don't want to do it at that point. I got other business and other s–t to be doing. I got kids that gonna need more attention from me in 10 years.
Gunna: I don't desire him to stop no time soon.
PMC is the largest shareholder of SXSW and its brands are official media partners of SXSW.
This story originally appeared in the March 12, 2022, result ofBillboard.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/music/features/young-thug-gunna-billboard-sxsw-cover-story-2022-interview-1235041101/
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