Key Takeaways
- Young Thug’s set featured surprise guests and unreleased tracks that energized the Summer Smash 2025 crowd.
- He previewed new music from his upcoming album ‘UY SCUTI’ and addressed his time away.
- The performance marked a symbolic comeback after his RICO trial and time in prison.
After making it through Georgia’s longest-ever criminal trial last year, Young Thug finally made his live comeback on Sunday (June 22). Closing out night three of Lyrical Lemonade’s 2025 Summer Smash, the Atlanta rapper debuted forthcoming music from UY SCUTI, brought out some surprise guests and gave fans a long-overdue homecoming.
“You see the shadow in the back of the room. He’s the one directing traffic. He is the one they’re all afraid of. He’s the one that’s King Slime,” a soundbite from Young Thug’s RICO case echoed through the speakers.
Moments later, the artist himself reflected on his situation: “I lost time, but I gained clarity, though. I needed silence to actually hear God, to actually understand what really matters.” He then apologized to fans, acknowledging how they spent their hard-earned money to help make him successful only for him to end up behind bars.
“Chicago, what the f**k is going on?” Young Thug said before fittingly opening his set with “Take It to Trial.” Shortly after, he launched into fan favorites like “OUT WEST,” “Slatty” and “Surf.” The Young Stoner Life Records founder also brought out several special guests, including Travis Scott for “Hot (Remix),” T.I. for “About the Money” and Ken Carson for an unreleased track.
Elsewhere during the performance, Thugger performed “Ski,” his massive hit with Gunna from Slime Language 2. Normally, he’d rap, “B**ch got a Backwood on her nightstand, she must be f**kin' with Gunna / I f**k with slatts and we come to eat rats, and I came with some f**kin' piranhas.” Except this time, Gunna’s name was censored. The collaborators have seemingly been at odds since the “fukumean” rapper took an Alford plea deal in 2022.
There were plenty of other surprises, like Young Thug paying tribute to the late Rich Homie Quan with a live rendition of “Lifestyle” and crowd surfing at the festival.
UY SCUTI will be Young Thug’s fourth studio album. While he jokingly told fans it was dropping on “June 37” during his GQ “Couples Quiz” with Mariah the Scientist, all signs point to the project arriving before the end of the year. Thus far, he’s heightened anticipation for the LP with the Future-assisted “Money On Money.”