Offset defends Gunna on New York Times Popcast, says the rapper told on nobody, and the YSL beef divided Atlanta’s hip hop scene [VIDEO]
The Rapper Spoke Candidly on The New York Times Popcast About Loyalty, Unity, and the City’s Decline
Offset has never been one to follow the crowd, and his recent appearance on The New York Times Popcast made that abundantly clear. In a candid interview published on November 12, the rapper addressed his continued association with Gunna after the YSL racketeering trial, defending his decision to stand by his friend despite widespread criticism within the hip-hop community. He also offered a broader critique of the division that has fractured Atlanta’s once-dominant music scene.
Speaking with hosts Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica in a studio featuring teal-blue walls and framed posters, Offset delivered a measured but firm defense of his choices. He stated plainly that Gunna “ain’t told on nobody,” pushing back against the perception that the rapper had violated street codes by accepting an Alford plea in the YSL case. For Offset, the decision to maintain his relationship with Gunna was a matter of personal principle, not public opinion.
Rocking With Who He Rocks With
The conversation began with the interviewer prompting Offset about his continued ties to Gunna after the YSL racketeering trial. Without hesitation, Offset stated plainly that Gunna “ain’t told on nobody.” He positioned his perspective as one rooted in his identity as someone “from the town,” acknowledging the intense internet pressure placed on artists to publicly distance themselves from those facing legal trouble. For Offset, resisting that pressure is a matter of self-definition.
He repeatedly emphasized his independence, stating, “I’m not a follower. I rock with who rock with me.” He explained that Gunna’s legal business is not his to adjudicate, adding that he would not want people to turn against him if he were the one in a difficult situation. Offset described his relationship with Gunna as one built on collaboration and mutual respect, noting that they “build and we push each other to go hard.”
The rapper’s defense leaned heavily on the personal over the procedural. While the legal intricacies of Gunna’s Alford plea remain a subject of fierce debate online, Offset bypassed the technicalities. He described his collaborator simply as a partner and a friend, pointing to their shared work ethic and the creative chemistry they have demonstrated in the studio, including their recent collaboration on Offset’s track “Spit Propane.”
The Plea That Split a City
The fracture goes back to 2022. Fulton County prosecutors indicted Young Thug, Gunna and dozens of associates under Georgia’s RICO statute. They alleged YSL was both a record label and a criminal street gang. Prosecutors relied on lyrics, social media posts and witness accounts. It became one of the most heavily scrutinized prosecutions ever aimed at hip-hop.
On December 14, 2022, Gunna entered an Alford plea to one count of racketeering conspiracy. That kind of plea lets a defendant accept a conviction while still maintaining innocence. It comes from the 1970 Supreme Court case North Carolina v. Alford. Gunna got five years. One year counted as time served, and the rest was suspended. He walked out the same day.
The terms came with conditions. He owed 500 hours of community service, much of it warning young people about gangs. In open court, he acknowledged that YSL worked as both a label and a gang. He also said, “YSL as a gang must end.” Those words hit hard across the culture.
Gunna’s camp moved quickly to draw distinctions. His lawyers said prosecutors never interviewed him. They said he never agreed to testify against anyone and never cooperated with the investigation. They added that his plea statements couldn’t be used against co-defendants without cross-examination.
For many in the streets and the studio, those distinctions didn’t matter. Young Thug later said the admissions hurt a defense built on denying that YSL was a gang. Lil Baby and other Atlanta stars stopped working with Gunna. Thug resolved his own case and walked free in October 2024. The city’s biggest names never fully came back together.
Quavo Reaches Out, Thug Pushes Back
The clip didn’t stay quiet for long. Quavo reposted it to his Instagram Stories and tagged Young Thug directly. His message was simple: “We all family; We all some playas; We gon fix it or let’s hit.” It was an open call to bury the hatchet, made in public.
Young Thug wasn’t having it. He fired back on his own Stories within hours. “How I’ma fix […] I didn’t break Qua?” he wrote. He insisted he had been “a real man since day one.” He added that no one could say he led his people wrong or crossed them.
The exchange showed how deep the wound runs. Thug has said before that business with Gunna might still be possible. He has also said he can’t see him the same way again. Quavo’s olive branch ran straight into that wall. The question now is who, if anyone, takes the next step.
X Debates the Definition of Loyalty and Snitching
The conversation largely centered on the legal and cultural distinctions between an Alford plea and active cooperation. A significant portion of users supported Offset’s position, arguing that Gunna’s decision not to testify against Young Thug meant he did not violate street codes.
One popular reply from @ChampShawnH argued that because Gunna “didn’t take the stand and say yes I saw Jeffrey.. commit crimes,” his plea should not be categorized as snitching. This comment drew hundreds of likes and was used to contrast Gunna’s case with that of other artists who actively testified against their co-defendants. Other users echoed the point that acknowledging YSL as a gang in court did not equate to detailing specific crimes by others.
However, a vocal minority pushed back, maintaining that any admission in court constituted a betrayal. Replies included direct assertions that “gunna is a rat” and arguments that his plea was a sign of fear rather than innocence. Some users questioned whether Offset’s defense of Gunna would affect his relationship with Young Thug, with one user wondering what Thug thinks about Offset and noting that it had “been a minute” since the two were seen together.
How Atlanta Lost Its Grip
Offset knows what dominance looks like. Migos turned the triplet flow into a pop phenomenon. “Bad and Boujee” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2017. Future, Young Thug and 21 Savage rose in the same era. Atlanta set the sound, the slang and the release calendar for the entire genre.
That era is gone. Takeoff’s killing in Houston on November 1, 2022, shattered Migos. The YSL indictment had already hit months earlier. Collaborations that once seemed automatic dried up. Gunna’s feature list shrank as major Atlanta names kept their distance.
Offset’s argument is about money as much as loyalty. Public unity, he says, once drove the city’s commercial power. Atlanta artists jumped on each other’s records, and fans followed. Without that, he sees a scene competing against itself. In his view, no single city runs hip-hop anymore.
What Comes Next
The music is already out there. GMFU arrived this week with Gunna on “Spit Propane.” That puts Offset’s stance on wax, not just on a podcast couch. Every stream of that track keeps the debate alive.
Quavo’s call for a truce is still out there too. Thug has turned it down for now. Gunna has kept saying he never testified against anyone. He has also acknowledged the personal and professional cost. None of those positions has moved.
Offset has made his choice clear. He’ll keep working with Gunna and keep pushing for Atlanta to come back together. Whether Thug, Lil Baby and the rest of the city follow is up to them. For now, the next move belongs to them.