Young Thug discusses life after jail, Atlanta ban in new interview

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Young Thug's during Fulton County RICO trial (FOX 5)

Atlanta rapper Young Thug is speaking out about life after jail and his new music following his plea deal in Fulton County last year.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, spoke exclusively with GQ Magazine's Zach Baron about what he's been doing since his release.

The backstory:

Williams was indicted along with approximately two dozen associates in May 2022, accused of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. The indictment said the rapper cofounded a violent street gang that committed multiple murders, shootings and carjackings over roughly a decade and promoted its activities in songs and on social media.

After spending almost two and a half years in jail, Williams pled no contest to one count each of conspiring to violate the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and participating in criminal street gang activity and guilty to several other charges, including gun and drug charges. 

Young Thug's sentence: Was it a win?

Friday marks one year since the jury in Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial was seated. It comes a day after Young Thug took a plea deal in that same case.

SEE MORE: Judge orders Young Thug's jewelry to be turned over to jewelry company 

The judge in the case gave him a total sentence of 40 years. The first five years were to be served in prison, which was commuted to time served, and 15 years on probation. The remain 20 years in prison will be commuted to time served if he complies with all the conditions of his probation.

As part of that probation, the rapper is banned from Atlanta except for specific events for 10 years. In December, Williams asked the judge to be allowed to visit his Atlanta home for the holidays. His request was denied, but the judge did rule that he could make limited visits to his Atlanta home beginning in 2027 if he remains out of trouble. 

Earlier this month, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis accused Williams of engaging "in conduct that directly threatens the safety of witnesses and prosecutors, compromises ongoing legal proceedings, and warrants immediate revocation of probation" over his social media posts. The judge declined to revoke his probation, but warned him to "exercise restraint" in the future.

What they're saying:

In the GQ interview, Williams called his experience in jail "real," saying that he didn't want to deal with that experience ever again.

"I think God put me in there for a reason. And I’m still trying to figure it out. I always felt like I was a good guy, so it was like, ‘Why do I got to go to jail for you to show me something? Why you just can’t tell me?’ I guess I was just hardheaded," he said.

The rapper said his decision to plead guilty was difficult, calling the situation he was put in "crazy."

 "But you get a chance to keep fighting. [You can] worry about the jury’s fate, or you [can] just go ahead now and go home. It’s like s--t. Go home," he said.

SEE MORE: Young Thug planning to return to stage at Belgian music festival

Young Thug gets Atlanta ban terms amended

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has amended the terms of rapper Young Thug's ban from the metro Atlanta area. He was originally sentenced to 15 years of probation. For 10 of those years, he would be banned from the Atlanta area. On Wednesday, Whitaker ruled that if there were no violations of probation within the first three years, Young Thug could return home for up to two weeks at a time, up to four times per year, non-consecutively.

Williams said the experience of having his lyrics used against him in court has made him think twice rapping about "street stuff," adding that he saw the impact he had on the community and youth.

He also commented on his probation restrictions, saying that the ban from Atlanta felt "like abuse," but that he has lived in Los Angeles for the last few years. 

"Everybody’s popping now. But everybody still sound like Atlanta or move to Atlanta or rap about Atlanta," he said. "You got artists from a whole other place rapping about Atlanta."

What's next:

Since his release, Williams says that he has been spending his time in the studio working on his upcoming album "UY Scuti" and "chilling with the kids."

"I’ve told my manager: I just want to make music where you can actually hear me. Because I always talk that shit, but sometimes you can’t hear it. Sometimes you’re like, ‘What are you saying?’ So it’s like now, I feel like I’m a new artist. I feel like I just came in the rap game again," he said.

He said that he feels peaceful now that he's out of jail.

"I feel more peace now. You can move with almost nothing over your head. You got probation, but that’s really nothing. I’m not going to violate probation. It’s just like almost fully peaceful. Once probation is over, then it’s like, okay, cool," he said.

Young Thug's newest album is set to be released on May 9. You can read the full GQ interview here.