Young Thug Explains Paying Lil Baby To Start Rap Career: "I Was Scared For Him"

BY Erika Marie 15.9K Views
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Lil Baby, Young Thug
Thugger and Baby grew up together and after seeing him go off to prison, Young Thug paid his friend to stay out of the streets and in the studio.

People did not believe Lil Baby when he shared that Young Thug paid him to stop wheeling and dealing in the streets, and now Thugger is confirming the story. According to the Quality Control rapper, he was deep in the trenches when Young Thug paid him to stay out of the streets and instead, record at the studio. A little guidance, incentive, and of course cash was all Baby needed and we see that the rest is history.

We have been sharing gems from Thugger's recent interview with The Breakfast Club and during the conversation, he revealed why he opted to just pay Lil Baby to begin his Rap career.

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"I was just...I just didn't want him to go back to prison," said Thug. "I was scared for him to go back to jail 'cause he had just did a bid. He got straight outta jail and went straight back to the same neighborhood. The same house that the police bust and locked him up. He went right back to the same house. It was a spot. I think I was more scared for him, of like prison."

Young Thug admitted that Baby was already popular and reminded him of himself. "Before rap, he was getting a lot of likes on his Instagram, and people like... He had nice ass captions. Like bro, you should try to make a song. Just show him the life, took him a few times everywhere. You know? He started seeing, this sh*t kinda easy. We grew up together, too. It makes it seem like it's easy if he seen me do it."

Lil Baby would be paid anywhere from $2K to $5K to go to the studio and record, however, Thugger revealed that Baby has a gambling problem. "He for sure lost ten times more money than he ever had," said Thugger. Watch the clip, and the interview in its entirety, below


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.