Last week, 21 Savage reached out to In a series of posts, 21 – whose new album is appropriately titled, What happened to the roads? , The origin of Thug and Gunna’s alleged tension was a plea to the rap world to abolish the so-called street code. “Fuck the streets,” 21 wrote“What we get from that filth is not filth but trauma.”
A few days later, seemingly prepared for detention, Young Thug tweeted: “Fuck the streets @21Savage.” To what extent have the tweets of 21 sparked fire? Agitation Rap On the Internet, pundits and fans are discussing the perceived hypocrisy of rappers who became famous due to lyrical content glorifying street violence. Tekashi 6ix9ine, who was widely mocked in hip-hop circles after cooperating with federal prosecutors following his 2018 arrest, mocked 21’s recent rhetoric. On Instagram, he posted a Story with the caption: “Now it’s bullshit in the streets, but remember when it was ‘Yo 69, we don’t care about your platinum records, we’re platinum in the streets.'” For all his troll tendencies, many people online seemed to agree with 6ix9ine’s assessment.
The tension between street ethics and commercial feasibility has come up repeatedly in the history of hip-hop. Jay-Z clearly wrestled with this in the late nineties and early 2000s, moving from hard-edged street rap on albums like reasonable doubt More corporate (read: capitalist) self-mythology than we see today. The debate surrounding artists such as Rick Ross, whose past as a corrections officer became public after his initial rise, has exposed how rap’s moral codes have always been selectively enforced.
The so-called “F the Streets” movement has also received some support. Meek Mill, whose incarceration and subsequent advocacy of criminal-justice reform managed to re-establish street authenticity in rap, addressed rappers and fans who took issue with 21’s comments. “Ensure the people promoting that ‘street filth’ have access to food and resources and opportunities for their families and communities,” He has written. “Make sure you don’t put the streets before your ‘real family’.” Other artists often associated with “street” rap had similar opinions, with some of the violence depicted in their music having widespread effects in real life. G Herbo – whose feature on 21’s new album is one of its best tracks – added some nuance to the discussion. “The goal is to take it home every night! The goal is to take care of your family and not be a sad story!” He Wrote in a post on X.
Still, many see the movement as more of a branding exercise than genuine peace promotion. The Atlanta rap scene has been in a state of flux since YSL’s sweeping lawsuit, with its biggest stars embroiled in a far-reaching racketeering scandal. Young Thug, who was the center of the Fulton County DA’s indictment, spent more than 2 years behind bars. In December 2022, Gunna took an Alford plea, in which he declared that YSL was a gang that “must be abolished.” The rap world interpreted this as tantamount to snatching, a violation of a sacred rule on the streets. Soon many of his colleagues dismissed him altogether and have yet to make any public appearances with Thug. Among its unintended consequences, the hubbub would inspire the nickname “Rat-lanta”.
Earlier this year, Thug appeared on the podcast perspective with the bank, Hosted by renowned Atlanta rap personality Big Bank Black, where he tearful discussion Which he called a betrayal by Gunna. Thug said, “Was Gunna taking that argument as a detriment to me? Yes, 100 percent.” “First we tell jurors that ‘YSL is not a gang.’ Now [after the plea deals] We’re going back to the jurors and saying, ‘Okay, some people might say this is a gang – but we’re not part of that part of it. “We’re a part of the record label part.”
Making matters more complicated, leaked jail calls from when he was still behind bars revealed that the swindler was similarly passing on information to authorities in a separate, earlier case, which sparked a widespread reaction. Meanwhile, Gunna’s recent album The Last Wun It was one of the best-performing rap projects of the year, showing that the audience cares less about the so-called “streets” than about rappers.
Online, from the ongoing story it seems that this whole movement is partly a reaction to the weak sales figures of both 21 and Thug’s recent projects. Despite high estimates, 21 what happened to the roadsSold approximately 73,000 album equivalent units and debuted at no. 3 on the Billboard 200. Thug’s debut album Out of Jail received a lukewarm critical response and debuted at no. Peaked at number 6 on the chart with over 50,000 albums sold.
Over the weekend, 21 took to Instagram to clarify his situation. “When I say streets I’m talking about the part that traumatized me and keeps me up at night,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “If you’re not tired of that part you haven’t gone through it!” That clarification may ultimately be the most important part of this entire discourse cycle. In a rap landscape reshaped by RICO cases, streaming platforms, and an audience increasingly detached from the realities depicted in lyrics, the old rules no longer apply so cleanly to the present.
It’s no surprise that most of the people speaking in favor of the “F the Streets” movement cite the influence they want to have on their children. No one would want the life of a thug to be passed down to their child, and as the 21 era rappers enter middle age, that’s exactly the kind of existential question they’re facing. His “fuck the streets” sentiment reflects a generation of rappers who are assessing the cost of the codes that once defined them.