By Cameron Lee
July 6, 2025
When Young Jeezy dropped Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 in the summer of 2005, it marked a seismic shift in Southern rap. Moving away from the rowdy, call-and-response club bangers of Lil Jon and the crunk era, the album introduced a more rugged sound with booming 808s, rapid hi-hats, and darker, cinematic synths crafted by producers like Shawty Redd.
The music captured the gritty, yet flamboyant street culture of Atlanta, epitomized by the Black Mafia Family — an era that would later inspire the hit TV drama BMF. While mixtapes largely defined the genre’s rise, Thug Motivation 101 was the first trap album to break into the mainstream, transcending the culture and solidifying Jeezy’s legacy in hip-hop.
20 Years of Thug Motivation 101
Now, as Jeezy celebrates the 20th anniversary of the landmark album, the moment serves not just as a tribute to the past, but a testament to evolution. Though steeped in the realities of Jeezy’s rough Atlanta upbringing, the album’s iconic taglines and ad-libs — “Let’s get it,” “Yeeeaaahhh,” and “That’s right” — became mantras for an entire generation striving to rise above their circumstances.
To honor the milestone, Jeezy is embarking on a black-tie tour featuring a 26-piece orchestra and five-piece band, produced by Grammy-winning music director Adam Blackstone. Following sold-out performances in Miami and Harlem’s Apollo Theater, the tour continues in North Carolina with stops in Raleigh (July 11 at Martin Marietta Center), Charlotte (July 12 at Belk Theater), and Greensboro (August 2 at Steven Tanger Center).
The Symphonic Orchestra and special guest DJ Drama
Blackstone recently won a Grammy for his work as music supervisor on the Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen, inspired by Alicia Keys, and has served as musical director for stars like Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Eminem, and Janet Jackson. He also arranged and performed as bassist for Jay-Z’s iconic Fade to Black concert in 2003.
The tour’s backbone, the Color of Noize Orchestra, is led by composer and bandleader Derrick Hodge — who arranged Nas’s Illmatic 20th-anniversary performance with a full orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2014. He also served as musical director for Mos Def’s Big Band concert at Carnegie Hall in 2008 and won a Grammy for his contributions to Robert Glasper’s 2013 album, Black Radio 2.
Adding to the one-of-a-kind concert experience, DJ Drama joins as a special guest — he played a pivotal role in Jeezy’s career, collaborating with him on the 2005 mixtape Trap or Die, part of the influential Gangsta Grillz series that reshaped Southern hip-hop.
The Tour is Produced by a Charlotte Company and Founder of Funk Fest
Leo Bennett, founder of Variety Entertainment and partner on the tour, has deep musical ties to North Carolina. He founded Funk Fest in the late ’90s and brought acts such as OutKast, The Roots, Ice Cube, and Erykah Badu to Charlotte. For Bennett, the tour is not only a celebration of the album, but also a salute to growth and maturity.
“It’s a celebration of evolving,” Bennett said. “People who were what they were back in 2005 are now who they are in 2025. We hope everyone’s gotten wiser, smarter. It’s celebrating life, and where we all started.”
Bennett attended Florida A&M University on a football and golf scholarship and studied to become a licensed pharmacist. Since organizing his first concert — a homecoming fundraiser featuring Ice Cube and Queen Latifah in 1989 — he has produced numerous shows and festivals over the years. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, he moved to Charlotte in 2001 and now splits his time between Charlotte and Atlanta, also booking acts at venues like Wolf Creek Amphitheater.
How the Tour Came Together
The relationship between Bennett and Jeezy began in 2015, and they have been collaborating ever since. The Atlanta rapper — always an advocate for independent ventures — chose to work with Bennett and Variety Entertainment after their successful run of shows for his 2024 Playlist Concert Series.
“I started Funk Fest, and that’s where I met Jeezy… I think the first concert I ever did with him was in Atlanta back in 2015, and then we just kept doing events, mostly festivals,” Bennett said. “After so many years of working together, he brought the idea of the orchestra tour for his 20th anniversary of Thug Motivation to the table.”
The Dress Code
As for the dress code, it’s a black-tie formal affair, but Jeezy puts it best: “I just want you to look your best. This is a celebration. So whatever is your best for you, you wear that…I want you guys to celebrate with me. Celebrate evolution, celebrate life, celebrate being here 20 years.”
The 20th anniversary Thug Motivation 101 symphonic orchestra tour makes three stops in North Carolina: Raleigh (July 11 at Martin Marietta Center), Charlotte (July 12 at Belk Theater), and Greensboro (August 2 at Steven Tanger Center).
Sponsored by Variety Entertainment Inc.
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