Young Thug and Gunna are still locked up for RICO charges in connection to the gang, Young Slime Life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still reach their fan base.
Hot 97’s Summer Jam was on June 12 in New Jersey, and the show usually has a number of big-name artists come through and perform. This year, it was supposed to be Young Thug and Gunna.
A message from Young Thug at #Hot97SummerJam 🙏 pic.twitter.com/u09kw6RTcJ
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) June 13, 2022
Thug was still a part of the lineup, as the show featured a voice message from the Atlanta rapper that played on the Summer Jam screen. In the message, Young Thug said “I just want to say thank you to all of my friends and my family for coming out and supporting us. You know, your support during this time means a lot to us.
“I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and now I see that Black artists and rappers don’t have that freedom. Everybody please sign the Protect Black Art petition and keep praying for us. I love you all.”
Young Thug was recently denied bond after prosecutors presented lyrics in which he bragged about shooting at YFN Lucci’s mother.
“[Thug] got into a beef, if you will, with another rapper by the name of Rayshawn Bennett, also known as YFN Lucci,” the prosecutor told the judge.
“At some point, Lucci’s mother was shot at and the song comes out with Bad Boy that says, ‘You better watch the way you breathe around me ‘fore that breath be your last, boy / Smith and Wesson 45 put a hole in his heart, better not play with me / Killers stay with me, I shot at his mommy, now he no longer mention me.”
