Young Thug has the most expensive credential there is for this talk: almost three years in a courtroom.
## What happened Per a CBS Atlanta report published Monday, September 21, Thug spent the prior weekend at Next Level Boys Academy, an Atlanta program that works with teens and young men to keep them out of incarceration. He sat with young men who are already in the criminal justice system.
"It's not worth it, bro," he told them. "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."
He also paid for a cookout for the young men and their families, and got behind the line serving hot dogs and burgers himself. XXL picked it up Wednesday, September 23.
## The case behind the message The courtroom he's talking about is the YSL RICO trial, the longest in Georgia history. In October 2024 he entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to gang participation, drug and gun charges and walked out on 15 years of probation, plus community service for each year. That's the deal he's describing to kids who haven't had their day in court yet.
## The read It's easy to be cynical about rapper mentorship photo ops. This one lands different because of the timing. Chicago has lost rappers this month, including BloodHound Q50, and the drill-to-docket pipeline is still the biggest story nobody in the industry wants to own. Thug is on probation and still talking about it on camera, in front of kids who are closer to his old situation than to his current one. It's worth more than another statement on Instagram.
## Sources - CBS Atlanta, Sept. 21, 2026: Young Thug mentors Atlanta teens, shares message about guns and faith - XXL, Sept. 23, 2026: Young Thug Warns Atlanta Youth Against Gun Violence, Says 'It Ain't Worth It'