Young Thug has experienced a lot success over the last few years, and he's refused to make compromises throughout. Whether it be his music, his fashion sense, his interviews, or his videos, Thug likes to play by his own rules, and his fans love him for it. Following the release of the disaster-turned-masterpiece "Wyclef Jean" video, we've decided to revisit some of the moments where Thug truly gave no fucks and came out all the better for it. Click through the galleries to read what we came up with.
When he named his mixtape "Carter 6"
When he tried to name his mixtape "Carter 6"
It didn't take long for Thug's idol to become his rival, and it all started very innocently. Thug announced that his album would be called Tha Carter VI in what he claimed was an expression of his fandom for Lil Wayne. Unfortunately, the announcement couldn't have come at a worse time, as Wayne was in the middle of a legal battle to release his long-awaited album Tha Carter V. Ultimately, it created tension between he and Weezy, and while the entire situation could have easily been avoided by Thug simply changing the title, he stuck to his guns until he was forced out of the name by a lawsuit. Even after losing the rights to Carter 6, Thug kept the idea alive by changing just one letter and retitling the project Barter 6.
When he (and his photographer) got naked for the Barter 6 photo shoot
When he (and his photographer) got naked for the Barter 6 photo shoot
After facing criticism from conservative rap fans regarding his gender-neutral fashion choices, Thug made the bold move of posing naked for his Barter 6 cover, and according to a Complex interview with photographer Sandy Kim, Thug made the suggestion that they both be nude for the experience. According to Kim, Thug's initial response to taking his clothes off in the name of art was hesitant, saying, "Fuck no, I'm not getting naked, you get naked!" When Kim obliged, Thug returned to his give-no-fucks self and shed his clothing as well.
When he said he wouldn't buy a Jay Z album "because of his age"
When he said he wouldn't buy a Jay Z album "because of his age"
Already what rap purists would dismissively refer to as a "mumble rapper" with a penchant for subverting gender norms, there was only one other way Thug could piss off hip-hop's old guard was to "disrespect" a celebrated 90s rapper, and he did just that in a 2015 GQ interview.
"I don't want to rap forever… I don't want to be 50 years old and rapping, man. I'm pretty sure nobody wants to do that," he told GQ when asked about Jay Z. "I'm pretty sure Jay Z don't wanna rap right now... If you're 30, 40 years old, you're not getting listened to by minors. Like, Jay Z has some of the sickest lyrics ever, but I would never buy his CD, just because of my age and because of his age. By the time I turn that old, I ain't gonna be doing what he's doing."
Thug's comments weren't necessarily disrespectful, but he surely knew that speaking so candidly of an OG would land in hot water with certain rap fans. However, he still spoke his mind on the topic.
When he said he "doesn't care for sex"
When he said he "doesn't care for sex"
Thug isn't afraid to be completely honest when discussing his sexuality, which he proved in a candid interview with V-Files. Thugger and his fiancée Jerrika Karlae shared the story of their initial abstinence in a video interview with the publication.
"We wasn't doing it on like no it's too early to have sex shit," said Thug. "We really wasn't. I don't care for sex that much. I never ask to have sex with her, never, ever ... Our first time doin' grown stuff, she did it ... She pulled me in the room like, 'Come here.'"
While it's a drastically different outlook on sex than most rappers will put forth, as usual, Thug doesn't seem too concerned about what others think about his personal choices.
When it was revealed he went for days without eating
When it was revealed he goes for days without eating
Young Thug truly lives life by his own rules. According to a 2016 profile in GQ, Young Thug does not eat the lavish meals he probably could in his tax bracket. According to reporter Devin Freidman, vending machine hot fries were the only thing Thug ate during the time the writer shadowed him for the story.
"He does not like to eat, and goes for days without food," Freidman wrote. "On the third of every month, a doctor shows up at his mansion near Buckhead and injects him with vitamins."
When he wore a dress on his Jeffery album cover
When he donned a dress on his Jeffery mixtape cover
Young Thug gave us one of the best album covers of 2016, decked out in an eye-popping blue dress that proved he wouldn't be toning down his personality for anyone. According to an interview with the photographer for Fader Thug saw the dress in New York and immediately knew he needed it for the cover. When he saw the final photos, he was as blown away as anyone.
"When he put it on, it definitely spoke for itself," said Garfield Larmond. "Everyone knew: this is different. If you think of Young Thug, you automatically get this perception of a different sense of style. He knew it would be crazy. When I showed him the first set of photos, he was like, ‘OK. This is it. This is what we needed from the beginning."
When he didn't show up for his video shoot and it was still a classic
When he didn't show up for his video shoot and it was still a classic
Young Thug co-directed the video for "Wyclef Jean," yet he was never on set. The video for Jeffery's opening track takes the viewer through the unconventional process of the failed video shoot, letting the listener hear audio of Thug's treatment of the video, and a few of the ideas that did get filmed (including women driving children's cars and kid police officers destroying a cop car). Co-director Ryan Staake recounts the doomed shoot that Thug never actually made it out to (he arrived late, but then was consumed by an Instagram hack). Somehow the disastrous almost-video is actually better than the (admittedly great) premise for the video ever could have been. Thug appears only in one scene he and his team filmed themselves in which he's gleefully eating Cheetos while rapping his verse. Never change, Thug, never change.