YSL Records

YSL Records, an initialism for Young Stoner Life Records, is an American hip-hop record label founded in Atlanta in 2016 by rapper Young Thug. The label emerged from the creative network surrounding Young Thug and became associated with Atlanta trap, melodic rap, collaborative mixtapes, and a distinctive “slime” cultural identity. It operates as an imprint of 300 Entertainment, linking its releases to a larger independent-minded music company while retaining a strongly artist-centered identity. The label’s early public profile grew through its association with Gunna, who became its first announced signing in 2017, and through a wider circle of Atlanta artists. Other performers connected with the label have included Lil Keed, Lil Duke, T-Shyne, Yung Kayo, Yak Gotti, Strick, and others. Some prominent rappers, including Drake, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Gotit, Nav, Travis Scott, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, have publicly displayed affiliation or cultural allegiance to YSL without necessarily being contractually signed artists. This distinction is important because YSL has functioned both as a formal label and as a broader artistic and social network. YSL’s recorded output has included artist albums, singles, music videos, and compilation projects. The label’s Slime Language series provided a platform for multiple affiliated artists and helped establish a recognizable collective sound. Gunna’s Drip Season projects, Lil Keed’s Long Live Mexico and Trapped on Cleveland 3, and collaborative releases involving Young Thug and other YSL performers expanded the label’s commercial and cultural reach. Its artists generally occupy the intersection of trap, contemporary hip-hop, melodic rap, and Atlanta’s highly collaborative mixtape tradition. The brand’s identity is also expressed through recurring visual and lyrical motifs. “SLATT,” commonly expanded as “Slime Love All the Time,” became a phrase associated with Young Thug and YSL affiliates. YSL chains worn or distributed among affiliated artists reinforced the label’s collective symbolism, although wearing one did not by itself establish a recording contract. Young Thug also launched the SPIDER clothing brand, which has been associated with the wider YSL creative ecosystem but is a separate fashion venture. From 2022 through 2024, YSL became the subject of a major Georgia criminal prosecution. Prosecutors alleged that the term YSL referred to a criminal street gang, while the defense disputed the state’s characterization and challenged the use and interpretation of lyrics and cultural language. The case involved Young Thug, Gunna, and numerous other defendants or associates. Gunna entered an Alford plea in 2022 and was released, while Young Thug accepted a plea agreement in October 2024 and received a sentence structured around time served and probation. The proceedings significantly affected public perceptions of the label and raised broader debates about the use of rap lyrics and artistic identity in criminal trials. Despite the legal controversy, YSL has remained an identifiable Atlanta rap imprint and cultural brand. Publicly described activity after the trial included Young Thug’s continued involvement with emerging Atlanta artists and the development of newer acts connected with the Ø Way collective. The label’s current roster and business structure may change over time, and public affiliation does not always indicate a formal contract.

YSL Records was established in Atlanta by Young Thug in 2016. The label’s name is commonly expanded as Young Stoner Life Records, although the initials became more broadly associated with Young Thug’s “slime” vocabulary and artistic circle. Its public launch was announced on November 15, 2016, when Young Thug posted a video of the label’s office. Kevin Liles, a co-founder of 300 Entertainment, appeared in the launch material, reflecting YSL’s relationship with that company. YSL subsequently operated as a 300 Entertainment imprint rather than as a conventional major-label division with a large publicly documented corporate structure. The label’s first major signing was Atlanta rapper Gunna, announced in 2017. Around the same period, YSL developed a larger roster and network that included Lil Duke and Young Thug’s sisters Dolly and HiDoraah. A separate joint venture involving YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Atlantic Records was also associated with the label’s early expansion, although affiliations and contractual relationships varied. The collective’s visibility grew through the prominence of its artists and through relationships with rappers who wore YSL chains or publicly used YSL-associated language without necessarily signing recording contracts. In 2018, Young Thug announced Slime Language, a compilation project featuring several YSL-associated performers. Released on August 16, the project helped convert YSL from an artist’s imprint into a recognizable collective brand. The label’s activity during 2019 included Gunna’s Drip or Drown 2 and Lil Keed’s Long Live Mexico. Collaborations with Quality Control and other labels also demonstrated how YSL-affiliated artists could work across separate corporate and artist infrastructures. The label continued expanding its recorded catalog in 2020 and 2021. Gunna promoted Wunna in 2020, while Lil Keed released Trapped on Cleveland 3. Young Thug, Gunna, and Yak Gotti appeared on “Take It to Trial,” the first single from Slime Language 2, which was released in 2021. These projects emphasized the label’s core model: individual artist albums supported by collective songs and compilation releases. YSL’s musical identity combined Atlanta trap production, melodic vocal performances, and recurring references to the “slime” community. YSL’s history was profoundly affected by the Fulton County criminal case initiated in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that YSL, which they interpreted in the indictment as “Young Slime Life,” functioned as a criminal street gang and charged Young Thug, Gunna, and other associates under Georgia’s RICO statute and related laws. The defendants and their legal teams disputed aspects of the prosecution’s characterization. The case generated extensive debate over whether rap lyrics, music-industry affiliations, fashion symbols, and colloquial phrases could be used as evidence of criminal conduct. Gunna entered an Alford plea in December 2022 and was released under probationary conditions. The trial began in November 2023 and continued into December 2024, becoming one of Georgia’s longest criminal trials. Young Thug accepted a plea agreement in October 2024 and was released after receiving a sentence structured around time served and probation. Other defendants received different outcomes, including plea agreements and acquittals. After the trial, Young Thug remained associated with the label and with Atlanta’s emerging underground scene. Public accounts described further activity involving artists connected to the Ø Way collective, including Tezzus and Diamond*. The roster, however, is fluid, and public association should not be treated as proof of a formal recording agreement. YSL therefore remains best understood as both a record-label imprint and a cultural network rooted in Young Thug’s artistic leadership and Atlanta hip-hop.

• 2024

  Young Thug released under plea agreement

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Young Thug accepted a plea agreement and was released with substantial probationary conditions.

• 2022

  Fulton County indictment

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Young Thug, Gunna, and other YSL associates were arrested and charged in a RICO-related indictment.

• 2021

  Slime Language 2 campaign begins

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  “Take It to Trial” introduced the next major YSL compilation, which followed in April 2021.

• 2018

  First Slime Language compilation

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The initial Slime Language compilation presented a group of YSL-associated performers.

• 2017

  Gunna joins YSL

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Gunna became the label’s first announced signee and later became one of its most commercially prominent artists.

• 2016

  YSL Records is publicly announced

  [1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Young Thug announced the Atlanta label through a video showing its office, with 300 Entertainment co-founder Kevin Liles appearing in the launch material.

An artist-led Atlanta hip-hop imprint focused on trap, melodic rap, collaborative releases, and the broader Young Thug-associated slime culture.

• Compilation album · 2018

  Slime Language

  The first major YSL compilation, released by Young Thug in August 2018, assembled label-associated artists and collaborators. It served as a musical introduction to the collective and helped define YSL as more than a personal imprint. Its concept emphasized shared Atlanta trap aesthetics and the label’s slime-oriented visual and lyrical identity.

• Compilation album · 2021

  Slime Language 2

  The second major compilation in the Slime Language series followed a run of singles and collaborations, including “Take It to Trial” by Young Thug and Gunna featuring Yak Gotti. The project broadened the collective format by combining YSL artists with closely connected performers.

• Artist album and mixtape series

  Drip Season series

  Gunna’s Drip Season projects became a central part of the label’s commercially visible catalog. The series connected Gunna’s melodic trap style with YSL’s broader Atlanta-centered identity and culminated in DS4Ever, described as the fourth and final installment.

• Studio album · 2019

  Long Live Mexico

  Lil Keed’s 2019 debut studio album was released through the YSL ecosystem and helped establish him as one of the label’s important younger Atlanta artists.

• Studio album · 2020

  Trapped on Cleveland 3

  Lil Keed’s second studio album, issued in 2020, continued the artist’s Cleveland Avenue-centered Atlanta sound within the YSL release network.

• 2024

  Young Thug plea agreement and release

  Young Thug accepted a plea agreement in October 2024 and was released with probationary restrictions, including conditions concerning geographic presence, contact with certain people, and gang-related activity.

  Source

• 2023

  YSL criminal trial begins

  The trial began in November 2023 after extensive pretrial proceedings. It involved disputes over evidence, lyrics, terminology, courtroom procedure, and the relationship between a record label and the alleged criminal organization described by prosecutors.

  Source

• 2022

  Georgia RICO indictment involving YSL associates

  Fulton County prosecutors charged Young Thug, Gunna, and other people associated with YSL under Georgia’s RICO statute and related laws. Prosecutors alleged that YSL functioned as a criminal street gang, while the defendants disputed aspects of that characterization.

  Source

Read more

• 2021Slime Language 2 rollout

  United States · Digital music platforms

  The label built anticipation for Slime Language 2 with collaborative singles, including “Take It to Trial,” linking Young Thug, Gunna, and Yak Gotti.

  Outcome. The compilation extended YSL’s collaborative brand model and expanded its catalog of collective releases.

  Source
• 2018Slime Language launch

  United States · Digital music platforms

  YSL promoted its collective identity through the release of the first Slime Language compilation, using a multi-artist project rather than a single-performer campaign to introduce the label.

  Outcome. The project established Slime Language as a recurring YSL compilation concept and increased the label’s public visibility.

  Source

• 2022

  Respond to criminal prosecutionOther

  Background

  The Fulton County indictment placed the label’s name and organizational identity at the center of a major RICO case.

  Action taken

  Young Thug, Gunna, and other defendants pursued separate legal strategies, including plea agreements and trial defenses.

  Aftermath

  Gunna was released after an Alford plea in 2022, and Young Thug was released under a plea agreement in 2024. The case generated continuing debate about rap lyrics and the interpretation of music-industry affiliations.

  Source

• 2018

  Release the first Slime Language compilationProduct launch

  Background

  YSL needed a project that could present its artists collectively rather than only through individual releases.

  Action taken

  Young Thug released Slime Language with multiple YSL-associated performers.

  Aftermath

  The compilation format became a defining part of the label’s identity and catalog strategy.

  Source

• 2016

  Create an Atlanta-centered artist imprintStrategy

  Background

  Young Thug sought to formalize the creative network surrounding his Atlanta rap career.

  Action taken

  He launched YSL Records as an imprint associated with 300 Entertainment.

  Aftermath

  The imprint developed into both a recording business and a wider cultural network for Atlanta hip-hop artists.

  Source

• 2022

  Lil Keed dies at age 24[1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  YSL-affiliated rapper Lil Keed died in May 2022 at the age of 24.

• 2018

  YSL releases Slime Language[1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Young Thug issued the first Slime Language compilation, presenting multiple label-associated artists and establishing a recurring YSL release format.

• 2017

  Gunna becomes the label's first announced signee[1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  The Atlanta rapper joined YSL during the label's early expansion and became one of its most visible recording artists.

• 2016

  YSL Records is launched in Atlanta[1]YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Young Thug publicly announced the new label through a video showing its office; 300 Entertainment co-founder Kevin Liles appeared in the launch material.

1. 1YSL Recordsen.wikipedia.org