The YSL superstar made his sizzling return to the stage at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash festival this past Sunday night (Jun. 22).
Young Thug performs onstage during the 2021 Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival on Sept. 19 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
On a blazing hot Sunday (Jun. 22) in Chicago, Atlanta’s own Young Thug delivered his first U.S. performance at Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX’s annual Summer Smash at SeatGeek Stadium after being released from prison in 2024. He, along with Future, and a joint performance with Yeat and Don Toliver headlined the 2025 edition, delivering an explosive set for over 100,000 attendees.
Previously heading Summer Smash for a joint set with Gunna in 2022, that was one of the last shows he was gearing up to perform before he was arrested that year. And after “1200” days of being away from the stage, by his account, he wasted no time giving fans what they have been waiting for after all this time. The set was loaded with YSL classics and current hits alike. From “Take It to Trial” and “Slatty” to “Money on Money,” fans loudly sang every word as they celebrated Young Thug’s long-awaited return. As fans continue to wait on Thug’s forthcoming album, the YSL frontman looks to shift the game once again with his boundless intensity.
“I think a lot of people rapping about the same thing. Ain’t nobody bringing something that you could actually watch,” he previously told GQ earlier this year. You can enjoy the music and enjoy the things they do, but we used to make movies. Now it’s just quick. We gotta get back to movies to where like people respect it.”
Here are the seven best moments from Young Thug’s headlining performance concluding the 2025 Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash.
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Young Thug Apologizes to His Fans for Being Away
Ten minutes after the initial 9:30 PM start time, Young Thug made his long-awaited return in dramatic form. “I want to tell my fans I’m sorry for failing. Forgive me, I’m back,” he said in the smoky opening video. After the crowd was covered in darkness, a haunting masked figure would appear from nowhere atop of the viewing tower of the Lyrical Lemonade stage. After a second figure arrived, Jeffery donning a similar mask wasted no time kicking things off with “Take It to Trial.”
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Thugga Calls a Fan Onstage to Walk out With Him to “Jonesboro”
As Young Thug concluded one of his songs, he randomly pointed out a fan in the crowd and called him on stage. After a few moments, he slowly walked down the circular structure he was perched from and headed down a large ramp. With him was the young fan he called onstage to accompany him.
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Young Thug Brings Travis Scott Back to Summer Smash
If you were in the crowd, you likely heard the rumors swirling around that Travis Scott was making a surprise return for Young Thug’s historic set, after headlining the fest with his Cactus Jack crew in 2024. To their surprise, it was true. Young Thug had the crowd screaming and moshing their hardest as the Houston rapper performed his verse on “Hot (remix)” followed by the electrifying “FE!N”.
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T.I. Makes a Surprise Appearance to Perform “About The Money”
Despite fans knowing about Travis Scott through the grapevine, one of the biggest surprises of the night was when Thugga brought out his big homie T.I. to perform his breakout feature, “About the Money” from Tip’s 2014 late-career album Paperwork. Their brotherhood was on full display for the fans to appreciate.
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London on da Track Rocks the Stage With Thug for “Lifestyle”
When Thugga performed his breakout duet with the late, great Rich Homie Quan, he brought one of his foundational producers, London on da Track, to share the stage for a heartwarming moment. Though Quan wasn’t there to savor the moment with his former collaborator, the performance had a nostalgic touch, which unified fans.
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Ken Carson Joins Young Thug to Perform a New Song From UY Scuti
Along with performing some of his biggest songs across his incredible catalog, Thug wanted to remind fans that his forthcoming album UY Scuti was on the way. Opium Records artist and fellow ATL native Ken Carson made a surprising return to the stage after performing his own set before Thug’s arrival. The two rocked the stage and performed their brand new song.
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Thugga Stage Dives Into the Crowd for “Money on Money”
After an explosive night of hits, dramatic special effects, and him riding a giant crane high above the crowd during the last few songs of his set, Young Thug closed out with his fiery banger “Money on Money.” As he left the stage and stood above a barricaded pit filled with fans, media and photographers, he dived into the cheering crowd and continued rapping.
