Atlanta based rapper Young Thug, released his third studio album titled “Business Is Business”(Young Stoner Life/Atlantic) while he remains incarcerated. This album is his first full-length release since 2021’s “Punk” and comes amidst legal troubles as he faces RICO charges alongside fellow rapper Gunna and numerous others in a large-scale gang indictment.

Thug joins a list of rappers to release albums from behind bars over the years as “BUSINESS IS BUSINESS” is projected to selling 95-110k in its first week according to HitsDD. The album is challenging Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing At a Time” (which sold 110k last week) for No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. if would be the first hip hop album of 2023 to reach the top. To ramp up sales Thug and the record label released the “Metro” version of the album with two additional tracks and a different sequence of tracks. 

Only three albums have ever gone No. 1 on the Billboard 200 by a rapper who is incarcerated:

1. 2Pac – Me Against The World (1995) sold 211k.

• Released March 14, 1995, by Interscope, 2Pac’s third studio album was released while Pac was in prison and debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart after selling 210,500 its first week. It is the first album to ever debut at the top of the pop charts by an imprisoned artist. The album stayed at No. 1 for four weeks and also topped the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It was the most successful album in the US that year. It received a nomination for Best Rap album at the 38th annual Grammy awards but loss to Naughty By Nature‘s Poverty’s Paradise. 

Lil Wayne – “I am Not A Human Being” (2010) – 110k

Recorded before Wayne did his eight month sentence fo weapon’s charges, the album debuted at No.  upon its digital release September 27, 2010. Then after the physical copies were released it climbed to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was the Cash Money/Young Money artist’s second US number-one album and the first studio album since 2pac’s Me Against the World to reach the top position on the Billboard 200 while its artist was in prison. 

YoungBoy – Sincerely, Kentrell (2021) – 137k

The third studio album by Sincerely, Kentrell by YoungboyNBA was release via Atlantic Records debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with no features after selling 137k equivalent units in the US including 10,000 in pure album sales. It was Young Boy’s 4th No. 1 album. 

Other artists to drop albums while in prison include:

• Vybz Kartel

While most of the artists on this list would have recorded their albums while they were on the outside, Jamaican dancehallstar Vybz Kartel has released eight albums with fresh topics while behind bars although the Jamaican prison officials have denied allowing Kartel to record while he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. He has released:

• “The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto – Incarcerated But Not Silenced” Released: 7 July 2013 Label: Whirlwind 

• “Kartel Forever: Trilogy” released: 15 October 2013 Label: Tad’s peaked at No. 11 its opening week on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart.

• “Reggae Love Songs” released: 3 June 2014 Label: Tad’s peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Reggae albums chart. 

• “Viking (Vybz Is King)” released 13 January 2015 in partnership with TJ Records/Adidjahiem Records/21st Hapilos Digital Distribution labels peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart. 

• “King of the Dancehall” Released: 10 June 2016 Label: Adidjahiem Records/TJ Records/Zojak World Wide peaked at No. 30 on the US Billboard Independent Albums Chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Heat Seekers Chart. The album has surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Reggae albums chart after peaking at No. 2 its opening week. The single “Fever” from the album has been certified Gold in the US (500,000) and Silver in the U.K. (200,000).

• “To Tanesha” released: 10 January 2020 on the Short Boss Musik/Vybz Kartel Muzik peaked at No. 87 on the US Billboard Top Current Album Sales Chart for one week.

• “Of Dons & Divas” released 26 June 2020 on the Short Boss Muzik/Vybz Kartel Muzik peaked at No. 80 on the US Billboard Top Current Album Sales Chart. The album also peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Reggae chart.

• “Born Fi Dis (Prelude)” released: 6 August 2021 on the Aiko Pon Di Beat/Short Boss Musik/Vybz Kartel Muzik label peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard Reggae albums chart. Kartel has also released 8 EPs during the same time.

• YNW Melly

“Just A Matter of Slime” (2023) was released by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop albums chart.

• Gucci Mane

• C- Muder

• • Albums: The Truest Shit I Ever Said (2005) peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 chart, Screamin’ 4 Vengeance 2008 (Pk No. 130), Calliope Click Vol. 1 (2009), Ain’t No Heaven in the Pen (2015), Penitentiary Chances with Boosie BadAzz 2016 (Pk No. 172)

• Lil Boosie 

• Lil Boosie facing charges of murder and conspiracy he released his fourth studio album Incarcerated (2010), Trill Entertainment Presents: All or Nothing. The album sold 30,000 units in its first week and debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. 

• Mac Dre

• Album: Young Black Brotha (1993)- Mac Dre’s vocal were recorded over the phone from prison for some of the songs on this album, after being incarcerated for several  bank robberies in 1992. Young Black Brotha peaked at #93 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

• Slick Rick 

  

   

  • Album: Behind Bars (1994)-British-American rapper Slick Rick dropped his third studio album while locked up via Def Jam Recordings. The album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, and number 11 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He even released two singles, “Behind Bars” and “Sittin’ in My Car”, which made it to number 12 and number 11 on the Hot Rap Singles, respectively.  

See additional artist to drop albums while incarcerated:

• Capone Album: Capone-N-Noreaga’s The War Report (1997)

  Keith Murray

  • Album: It’s A Beautiful Thing (1999)

• Tony Yayo
  • Album: G-Unit’s Beg For Mercy (2003)

•  Shyne
  • Album: Godfather Buried Alive (2004)
• Turk
  • Albums: Penitentiary Chances (2004), Still A Hot Boy (2005), Convicted Felons (2005)
• Beanie Sigel
  • Album: The B. Coming (2005)
• Cassidy
  • Album: I’m A Hustla (2005)
• Pimp C
  • Album: The Sweet James Jones Stories (2005)
• Prodigy
  • Album: H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 (2008)
• T.I.
  • Album: No Mercy (2010)
• Max B
  • Album: Vigilante Season (2011)