Fans Weigh in on Young Thug's Name Change

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Frazier Tharpe: The monikers "Young Thug" and "Jeffery" couldn't be more different, which is to say this name change is exactly in line with Jeffery Williams' history of trolling as a way of independence and defiance. Shorten it to just Jeffery and I think it's awesome. He'll always be Young Thug in essence but maybe he doesn't "need" that identity anymore the same way Beyoncé stopped needing Sasha Fierce. Maybe like Bey we'll see a new introspectiveness in Thug's forthcoming music, a heightened personal element alongside the bangers. Jeffery is a hilarious banal name given Thug's image so with that said I'm all the way here for it.

Caitlin: At this point, there's not much Young Thug can do to surprise me. And I think that's kind of the idea. It's so easy in 2016 for artists to get settled into their brands and hit cruise control, and that's when people get bored. Thug and Lyor are doing an amazing job of keeping everyone on their toes re: the Young Thug story. But nah, I'm not gonna call him by that long ass name.

Ben Roazen: I'm with it, personally. As soon as I heard, I made the connection with Prince becoming [the symbol] and forcing people to call him "The Artist FKA Prince" at all formal events. Only here, it feels like him going by his birth name is the ultimate denial of branding. It forces people to think of him as a human being rather than just a moniker and a character. That being said, I think it'll only effect his career if people actually take to it. I think some people will definitely call him Jeffery for short; some might take to the NMNIJ acronym because who doesn't love a good acronym? Personally, I'm probably gonna mix it up and call him Thugger, Thug, Jeffery and No My Name Jeff.

Crockett: "No, My Name Is Jeffrey" has begun to grow on me, although I really disliked it at first. I really love his current name but one of the most compelling things about Thug/Jeffrey is his DGAF attitude. If he wants to change his name then he's definitely going to and he does not care what anybody thinks about that. He could go Prince's route and change his name to a symbol and we'd still be getting dope music from him.

Eric Isom: I don't think the name change is that serious. No, My Name is Jeffery is a pop star waiting to happen and Young Thug is a tough name to push in mainstream media. I feel like this is a calculated move and part of a transition into a simpler name like Jeffery. Thug is too talented of an artist for a name change to really affect him. He's one of the biggest artists in hip hop today and will soon be one of the biggest in music period. It'll be no time before we even forget he even changed his name.

Villa Kent: Atlanta is the place home of the Braves, Delta, a lot of colleges, and some of the best strip clubs in the world. Contrary to what people think, it's also one of the most diverse places in the world. Not just ethnically like New York, but idea wise.

Niggas like Gucci, Raury, Andre, and No My Name is Jeffrey come from here and radically change over time for a reason. The city itself changes on an atomic level month to month and year to year. This can be good, but also strange.

You have places like Lenox Square, where niggas will literally walk around with a boombox and a mixtape in some circa 2008/2009 New Boyz fake nerd glasses and checker pants with their mom's night robe on and they'll amaze you. That nigga will have the damn gospel coming outta that boombox.

As a result get niggas like Makonnen, Thugger (No, My Name Is Jeffery), Gucci, and more trying things that niggas in other places would genuinely think you are on drugs trying to do. It's that experimentation, that is the basis of the culturally off-but-on sound that Atlanta has cultivated from Future and others.

Thugger's name change is both reflective of the mentality that makes so many people here famous, but also as a means of expressing/demonstrating how different they're willing to be. Sometimes it sticks and is indicative of a change in them—such as Tity Boi to 2 Chainz—and other times it's just Gucci Mane to Guwop back to Gucci Mane situations.

Regardless of whether this nigga is off some other shit, it's gonna be gold either way because the best skill of most Atlanta niggas that make it is their ability to risk it for the biscuit and make it work.

Matt: I think this is a stunt, similar to Lyor "burying" Slime Season 3, then subsequently bringing the casket of SS3 to SXSW. If it isn't a stunt, I think it's silly. For me, it harkens back to wack emo bands like Panic at the Disco with long names and long song titles (Gerald Walker being the only artist who can pull off long song titles, IMO, but I digress). Regardless of name, if he's still bringing heat, 2 Chainz is still Tity Boi.

Jacob Moore (me): I'm all for Young Thug changing his name. He's got potential to be a global superstar, much bigger than he is now, and a new name could help prevent him from being dismissed immediately by closed-minded people. Plus, artists should be able to do whatever they want. Some of the best artists in history have been the risk-takers who do things that most people would probably advise them not to do. No Young Thug fan is going to stop listening to him because he changes his name. All this said, I really hope he ends up going by Jeffery and not "No, My Name Is Jeffery," because that shit is going to be really annoying to put in headlines.

John Walaszek: I think eventually this will fade away and he will stay Young Thug, but I would love if he fully switched to "No, My Name Is Jeffery." That's some Prince shit. And at this point in my eyes Thugger can do no wrong and I'll support any decision he makes.

Zach Frydenlund: For me, it really doesn't mean anything. Young Thug is forever if he wants to go by his actual name now, I have no objections. And while I'm skeptical about how long this will stick, I'm all for him expressing himself how he wants to. Long live Young Thug and hello No, My Name Is Jeffery.