Lil Baby is one of the biggest rappers in the world right now and when it comes to 2020, there aren't many artists who are having a better year than he is. While Baby's success has been impressive, it's something that even he himself didn't expect. In fact, while speaking to The Breakfast Club earlier this year, Lil Baby made the revelation that Young Thug discovered him early on and actually paid him to take rap seriously.
"I was already going to the studio,” Lil Baby explained. “He was on some sh*t like, ‘You got a chance in rapping. Not even a chance. Like you’re gonna make it rapping. You can’t even be chilling.’ He would FaceTime me and see where I’m at, and he like, ‘Damn you ain’t even at the studio?' My mind wasn’t where Thug’s mind [was] at because I hadn’t been through what I’ve been through now. Now I appreciate everything he said and I understand everything he said. It still put something in my head, but I still couldn’t see it."
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
While being interviewed by T.I. and Benny The Butcher on the ExpediTIously Podcast, Young Thug was asked about Lil Baby's situation and why Thug felt it was necessary to pay the artist to focus on rapping. As the So Much Fun artist explained, he wanted to show Lil Baby just how much belief he had in him, while also demonstrating that making money in the industry is possible.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1329520738869649408
"I used to read that young n***a's captions on his pictures and call him like, 'bruh, you know you can rap.' He in jail like, 'bruh, I'mma goddam get out, I'mma goddam get me some money, get me a bag and do what I need to do,'" Thug explained. "Just to groom him to you really could get paid from doing it, like, no cap."
Young Thug's decision ultimately led to the rise of a superstar, and it's clear that Lil Baby has remained thankful over the years. Perhaps Lil Baby's story will also help inspire other young artists who might be on the fence about whether or not they should go all-in on music.
