Benzino Claims Government-Backed Leak of Young Thug Phone Records
Rapper and reality television star Benzino has alleged that the U.S. government was behind leaking Young Thug's prison phone calls, raising the issue of the constitutionality of the releases.
In a video shared online on September 6, Benzino raised concerns about the legality of the recordings being made public.
Benzino calls out the system for leaking Thug’s private jail calls, saying it’s unconstitutional and designed to bait him while on probation 👀 He believes the gov’t purposely leaked them without watermarks to sway public opinion.
— Traps N Trunks (@trapsntrunks) September 6, 2025
Do y’all think the calls should’ve ever been… pic.twitter.com/CKPx7vV1P0
Introducing his remarks, he said, "What I'm more surprised at and more kind of pissed off at is, how the fuck is this even constitutional that a prison, which is part of the system, right? can leak private phone calls."
The recordings were made while Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, was in detention on RICO charges from May 2022 through October 2024. Inmate calls are recorded but hardly ever released except in official filings.
Benzino indicated that the release indicated a higher-up source. "I guarantee the government's leaking them, because they know what they're doing," he reported.
He indicated that the fact that no watermarks were included on the clips indicated that they were not bought through entertainment channels like TMZ.
The rapper contends that the leaked tapes have nothing embarrassing. According to him, "He's not talking about no drug shit. Not talking about murdering anybody. He's just talking about regular shit that everybody talks about."
Benzino, who became popular in the 1990s and is also the father of rapper Coi Leray, condemned how the audiences have been viewing the clips.
He commented, "You mother fuckers can't wait to hear the next phone call. But then judge and criticize and condemn the mother fucker doing it."
Legal analysts say the controversy highlights a deeper dispute between privacy, online circulation, and constitutional protections. Prosecutors declined to say how the recordings entered the public domain.
Benzino wrapped up his comments with a call to change the focus of the public. "We gotta stop judging, man," he stated, placing the issue in both cultural and legal terms.
The case against Young Thug rages on, and it is still gaining national attention with the recent leaked calls entering the mix of this high-profile case.
Originally published on Music Times
