Young Thug spent a weekend at Atlanta's Next Level Boys Academy talking to teenagers who are already in the system. CBS Atlanta reported it Monday, Sept. 21. XXL picked it up Wednesday. (XXL, CBS News Atlanta)
What he said
"It's not worth it, bro," Thug told the group, per the reports. "I sat in the courtroom almost three years. I feel like a lot of y'all need to get in touch with the Bible. Guns kill people."
Short. No speech. That's how you talk to a 15-year-old who's heard every adult lecture already.
Why it carries weight
He's not speaking in theory. Thug entered a non-negotiated guilty plea in the YSL case in October 2024, after pleading not guilty in 2022. The sentence was 15 years of probation, with 100 hours of community service for every year of it. He's living inside the consequences he's describing.
Next Level Boys Academy works with teens and young men to keep them out of incarceration. Thug also paid for a cookout for the boys and their families and got behind the line serving hot dogs and burgers.
The honest read
Some people will call it probation hours. Maybe some of it counts. Doesn't matter much. A kid in Atlanta who grew up on Thug's music heard him say the courtroom wasn't worth it, from the man himself, in person. That lands different than a PSA.
The bigger question is what happens after the cookout. Mentoring that works is weekly, boring and long. If Thug keeps showing up, that's the story. We'll watch.
## Sources - Young Thug Warns Atlanta Youth Against Gun Violence, Says 'It Ain't Worth It': XXL, Sept. 23, 2026 - Young Thug mentors Atlanta teens, shares message about guns and faith: CBS News Atlanta, Sept. 21, 2026