Young Thug says his next solo album is R&B, with Mary J. Blige as the guide and Drake songs in the vault

Young Thug is planning a left turn. In a podcast appearance this week, the Atlanta rapper said his next solo project will be a straight R&B record, and that he has more unreleased music with Drake ready to go.

None of this has been formally announced by his label, so treat it as the artist's own plan rather than a scheduled release. There is no title, tracklist or release date, and he has not said whether the Drake songs belong on the R&B album or will arrive separately.

What he has said

Speaking on The Crew Has It podcast on 6 October 2026, Thug said he is "going R&B" and named Mary J. Blige as the model, wanting the real thing rather than a rap record with a hook. He has said the album will arrive before the end of 2026.

He has also described the mood. Most of the songs are sexual, he said, with perhaps two or three heartbreak songs and the rest "just fun times". He also said he would love to work with Blige, and the host offered to make an introduction.

The Drake songs

Thug and Drake have a history. Drake appeared on the intro, "Parade on Cleveland", and on "Oh U Went" from Thug's 2023 album Business Is Business. Thug has now said the pair have a few more finished songs, and a joint project title, a play on the 2015 Drake and Future tape What a Time to Be Alive, came up in conversation. That idea has circulated before, so it is a fan-favourite rumour rather than a confirmed project.

Why it matters

Young Thug has always bent melody further than most rappers: the elastic vocals on his best records already sit somewhere between rap and singing. A full R&B album is less a pivot than a decision to stop hiding the singer. It also follows UY SCUTI, his most recent solo album.

We will update this story when the label confirms a title and date.