Attorney Brian Steel, who represented Young Thug in his lengthy but now resolved racketeering case in Georgia, appears to have inspired the name of a new song on Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s new album.
The album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, is due on Valentine’s Day and is slated to feature a song titled “Brian Steele.”
Steel spells his last name without the extra “e,” but the inspiration seems likely. New York Times music reporter Joe Coscarelli reached out to Steel’s office about the apparent shoutout, with the lawyer replying that he was initially “unaware” of the track.
“I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting with Mr. Graham,” Steel wrote in response, per a screenshot shared by Coscarelli on Thursday. (Aubrey Drake Graham is the rapper's given name.)
“He is so kind, considerate, generous, inspirational, intelligent—a true leader and great model for our community," Steel continued.
Complex also reached out to Steel’s office for additional comment, and this story may be updated.
Last November, Steel included Thug in a talk to Emory Law School students by FaceTiming the Business Is Business artist during the lesson. At the time, Thug was mere days out of custody after taking a plea deal in the RICO case.
Drake’s surprise-released 2022 solo album Honestly, Nevermind saw the 6 God calling for Thug’s freedom on “Sticky,” with its release coming just over a month after he was initially arrested and others were indicted in the larger case.
“Free Big Slime out the cage,” Drake rapped on the song.
Drizzy publicly expressed support for Thug throughout the case, at one point seemingly suggesting that he had helped out on a financial level. Akademiks later alleged that Drake had given Thug $1 million following his release.
