American rapper and singer Young Thug says “rap is in a weird space” at the moment, and would be “so happy if hip-hop turned into pop.”
The 34-year-old’s comments came during a stream seemingly done in tandem with his Hometown Hero benefit show at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Tuesday, December 16.
Thug, whose recent album UY SCUTI was dropped in September this year, surprised fans by proposing to girlfriend Mariah the Scientist mid-performance.
He not only wowed Mariah in the process but also had the fans emotionally immersed in the act.
“I feel like I always wanted to do this type music, and then I feel like rap is in a weird space right now,” Thug said in a video making the rounds on social media, though its exact origins weren’t immediately clear.
“Because it just seems like everybody’s beefing. … Two of the biggest artists in the world clash, and a lot of fucking ripple effect came out after that. Weird. I feel like it’s time. I feel like we gotta take it to the next level. We gotta level up. Like, AI. It’s just so much. Everything in the world leveling up except hip-hop.”
Thug, whose remarks were quickly questioned by fans, went on to suggest a complacency among successful artists.
“I feel like we need this type of shit,” Thug, who also affirmed his “love” for hip-hop, added. “I would be so happy if hip-hop turned into pop.”
As some fans were quick to point out, this year has seen the release of multiple excellent rap projects, with Clipse and Tyler, The Creator among those who released widely acclaimed and commercially viable albums.
Also, the 2026 Grammy nominations announced in November revealed three rap titles—Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out, and Tyler’s CHROMAKOPIA—as competitors for Album of the Year.
Young Thug’s biggest song this year is “Money on Money”, on which he features Future.
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The track was released as the lead single for his album UY Scuti and reportedly peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
