Atlanta hip-hop has faced division since the YSL RICO trial, and Offset says he stood by Gunna because he did not believe Gunna had informed on anyone. In his New York Times’ Popcast interview, Offset called for unity among Atlanta rap artists.
Offset joined New York Times’ Popcast on Thursday (Nov. 12) and explained why he supported Gunna after the “Fukumean” rapper faced allegations of snitching. Gunna reached an Alford plea deal in the YSL RICO case in 2022 to regain his freedom.
The decision created a rift with some of Gunna’s former close collaborators, including Young Thug and Lil Baby, who have not worked with him since.
“He ain’t told on nobody,” Offset stated. “We from the town. I done been through the cap internet storm of people wanting you to show that you’re down… I’m not a follower, I rock with who rock with me. I rock with who I rock with. If I fall off, I don’t want you to say, ‘F me.’ I done been through stuff and seen peers like, ‘I’ma get away.’”
Offset described his bond with Gunna as a friendship and partnership, and said conflict had divided Atlanta’s artists. He argued that unity in Atlanta hip-hop helped artists including himself and Young Thug succeed. “We partners. We friends… All that bull divided our city and it made each artist pay for it. The difference is Atlanta, we got unity… There was always things going on between the artists in Atlanta. There’s always politics. We always showed unity. I look at how I got on, Thug got on, everybody got on the same train. And it only worked because of the unity.”
Offset recruited Gunna for “Spit Propane,” a track on his GMFU album, which arrived on Friday (Nov. 13). The Migos rapper said he wants Atlanta hip-hop to regain the unity it had when the trio rose to stardom in the mid-2010s.
Offset said Atlanta’s collective influence on hip-hop has waned, leaving a gap in the scene. “I just really wish we was all just unified because we ran the whole hip-hop scene. Now it’s a gap. It ain’t no real city running hip-hop, which makes hip-hop drain and lose its powers,” he added. “You killing your own product.”
Quavo responded to Offset’s comments on his Instagram Story on Thursday, urging Young Thug to reconcile with his YSL mentee, Gunna, for Atlanta’s benefit.
“We all family @thuggerthugger1 we all some playas,” Quavo wrote. “We gon fix it or lets hit.”
Young Thug replied that he did not believe he was responsible for the breakdown in his relationship with Gunna.
“How Uma fix some shit I didn’t break qua?” Thugger wrote. “I been a real man since day one, no n—a on this earth can tell u I lead then wrong or f–ked them over.”
Young Thug and Gunna have not collaborated since Young Thug reached a plea deal in the YSL RICO case and was released in October 2024. Gunna has not publicly discussed the status of their relationship, which the article describes as strained on both sides.
Young Thug appeared on “All My Partnas,” a standout track from Lil Baby’s Fresh album, released earlier in November. Lil Baby has also distanced himself from Gunna since the case.
Watch Offset’s Popcast interview below; his comments about Gunna begin around 36:45.
