Young Thug is speaking out after a fan gave him a massive — albeit inaccurate — tribute in the form of a tattoo. However, the reasoning behind it is deeper than he and the rest of the internet may have realized.
In a now viral post from a tattoo artist in Madrid, it shows a fan who decided to get one of Thug’s lyrics from his 2016 song “Digits” tattooed on his back. The quote? “Horses don’t stop, they keep going.” The words were also accompanied by three impressively sketched galloping horses.
And while that seemed fine on the surface, once the photo made its way to the rapper’s side of the internet, he unfortunately had to burst the fan’s bubble. In a post to X/Twitter on Monday, the “Out West” rapper posted a correction to the lyrics and explained that its not horses that don’t stop—but rather “hustlers.”
“And that’s y I’m talking with more clarity,” he wrote. “Dam bro…”
However, in a surprise twist, John Nelson, the man with the tattoo, recently spoke to Rolling Stone and revealed that the misquote was actually intentional.
“I intentionally chose the wrong lyrics to match the theme of the tattoo. I have been wanting a horse piece for a couple years now” the man said.
He went on to explain how the piece was an homage to a friend he lost by suicide back in 2022 and the horses he got tattooed represented the horses he saw on trip he took to find some peace about the situation on the aftermath.
Speaking about his affinity for Thug’s music, Nelson said: “ Thug was the first artist that really made me a fan of music. Before I started listening to Thug, I didn’t really care that much about music; I didn’t have a favorite artist. Music just wasn’t a part of my life, but now it plays a major role. I am almost always listening to music. I credit that to Thug.”