Is Young Thug the Most Influential Rapper of His Generation?

With the release of Young Thug’s new album Punk, Jeff Ihaza — who wrote IndieLand’s recent digital cover story on the Atlanta rapper — joins host Brian Hiatt on the new episode of our IndieLand Music Now podcast to look back at Thug’s wildly influential career so far and examine the highs and lows of his new release.

The episode traces, step-by-step, how Young Thug changed the sound of hip-hop – while continually altering his own aesthetic approach along the way. And in the course of the conversation, Thug is compared to Elvis Presley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Joker to Future’s Batman.

To hear the entire episode, press play above, or download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, IndieLand Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Alicia Keys, Phoebe Bridgers, the National, Ice Cube, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle,  Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many more — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with IndieLand’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear IndieLand Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.