Young Thug recently doubled down on his divisive UY SCUTI cover art by sharing "whiteface" versions of all his collaborators, including Cardi B, Future, Travis Scott, Mariah The Scientist, and the rest of the features. It's an odd move that seems even odder when you take into account the context of the album's opening track "Ninja," on which he controversially drops the N-word with the hard R multiple times towards its conclusion. Thugger chose to break this down to Adin Ross on his livestream in a clip caught by FearBuck on Twitter.
Furthermore, this explanation follows a lot of debate around the track, the cover art, the possible intentions or messaging behind this, and whether or not it's in good taste. Thug had a much more simple explanation for it, though.
"I was thinking just, like, you know... I don't know, man. Just, all of my opps are n*****s," Young Thug told the streamer. "You f***ing n****rs. You call all of your opps n*****s. All your boys with multiple b***hes, you call all your b***hes n*****s."
"What about me, bro? You know I can't say that," Adin Ross asked. "You can't say that, you supposed to say 'ninja,'" the Atlanta artist replied. "You're not supposed to say anything, really. As a white guy, you shouldn't say anything. You know, you should leave that to the Black people. You and the rest of the white community."
Young Thug N Word Song
While this explanation doesn't offer much of an explanation at all, not even an earnest and detailed answer could stray some critics from their path, no matter where the criticism is coming from. While some folks are squarely blaming Thug for these provocative statements, others are aiming more at non-Black listeners and consumers making light of these aspects or stepping out of line.
Beyond all these debates, though, Young Thug hopes to share his reformative journey in more sincere spaces. He recently appeared on The Pivot podcast and gave us a whole album of reflection, attempts at accountability, and honesty. We will see how these and other debates continue to age as fans digest it.
