Young Thug Admits To Buying 50K Worth of “Bots” Streams For His & Gunna Albums

Leaked jail calls from Young Thug are stirring major controversy, with the Atlanta rapper allegedly admitting he paid for fake streams — often referred to as “bots” — to boost both his own album and Gunna’s chart performance.

In one call, reportedly with a close associate, Thug vents frustration over Business Is Business, his 2023 project recorded while behind bars. The album moved 88,000 units in its opening week but fell short of No. 1, blocked by Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which sold 108,000. Thug questions why no one pushed for a collaboration with Wallen, hinting it could have bridged audiences and changed the outcome.

The conversation then pivots to Gunna’s rise. According to the leaked tape, Thug claims he spent $50,000 on artificial streams to edge Gunna’s DS4EVER past The Weeknd’s Dawn FM in January 2022.

“You didn’t honestly earn a number one album over The Weeknd,” Thug is heard saying. “I paid for that.”

The audio also captures Thug accusing Gunna of turning his back after the boost. He alleges Gunna now charges up-and-coming rappers hefty fees for features, despite Thug’s own history of supporting him without taking a cut.

“I protected you,” Thug laments, painting a picture of loyalty repaid with disloyalty.

The leak adds fresh turbulence to an already complicated moment for Thug. Business Is Business was promoted as a statement of resilience from jail, but now faces the shadow of bot allegations and fractured alliances. The call even references Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape, which ended hip-hop’s months-long drought atop the Billboard 200 in July 2023, underscoring how fragile chart dominance was at the time.

This isn’t the first time Thug’s private conversations have surfaced. Past leaks have captured calls with 21 Savage and Lil Baby, as well as claims of behind-the-scenes tension involving Quality Control. Neither Gunna nor The Weeknd has commented on the new allegations.

Whether fact or speculation, the recordings highlight how Thug’s incarceration has become a public spectacle — reshaping debates about loyalty, credibility, and survival in hip-hop.