The 2020 Grammy Nomination for “Best Rap/Sung Performance” solidifies Young Thug as one of music’s most efficacious artists and dynamic label executives. 2019 has been a year of success for the tastemaker Young Thug, CEO and founder of multi-platinum-selling record label YOUNG STONER LIFE RECORDS (YSL) with notable artists Gunna and Lil Keed. This year has certainly been Thug’s’CEO Year.’
On top of his recent Grammy nomination, he is a 2019 Grammy Award Winner for Song of the Year and became the first hip-hop music artist to have three top 5 rap albums debut on the Billboard charts in 1 year. The New York Times coins Thug as “The most influential eccentric from Atlanta.” Young Thug’s influence has been culturally impactful from his appearances in TV shows like Grown-ish and Scandal to syncs on HBO’s Euphoria and Donald Glover’s Atlanta to having his Jeffery album cover currently on display in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Thug reached his first #1 album and his highest selling album with latest release So Much Fun, which has now hit 13 consecutive weeks in Billboard 200’s top 10. Grammy-nominated single “The London,” has accumulated over 380 Million Streams to-date and has accumulated over 2.3 Million sales equivalents.
Young Thug is constantly working, he just closed out his “Justin Bieber Big” tour alongside Machine Gun Kelly.One of Young Thug’s prodigies and signees to YSL Records, Lil Keed, is a clear success story of Young Thug’s dedication to progressing rap and hip-hop music in the music industry.
Lil Keed’s latest album Long Live Mexico (with features from Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, and YNW Melly) reached #1 on Apple Music’s Hip-Hop Charts with over 16K units sold in the first week. Recently, he was named by Rolling Stone as the #1 “Breakthrough Artist” with 8.4 million unit growth (gains in audio streams over the previous month).
Gunna’s 2020 Grammy Nomination for “Best Rap/Sung Performance” solidifies him as one of rap’s most important newcomers. Young Thug and Gunna have been working together as far back as 2015. Since Young Thug signed Gunna onto his record label YSL, the two have collaborated across the industry from recent tracks “Hot,” “Surf,” and “Dirty Shoes” and more to Gunna accompanying Young Thug on his performance of “Hot” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (watch).
The “King of Drip” aka Gunna has had a standout year as a YSL Record’s roster member. Young Thug’s single “Hot” ft. Gunna became an instant hit and remained the #1 song on Apple Music for two weeks, with a new peak at #11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and 1,500,000 singles sold and 250 Million streams to date.
Gunna’s latest album Drip or Drown 2 debuted as the #1 Rap Album and accumulated over 150 Million streams in the first week. Grammy Nominated “Drip Too Hard” by Gunna and & Lil Baby was certified 2X Platinum with over 3.6 Million equivalents and peaked at #4 on the Billboard top 100.
Young Thug has changed this year with his own music’s success and YSL Records and standout artists like Gunna and Lil Keed reaching several #1 titles.
