I think thug goes hand in hand with thug life...a term created by 2Pac referring to mainly black males but also hip hop culture in general. Thug life sort of means surviving in the face of racism and societal pressures. The verb..to thug..is a reference to the hustle or the grind or the stuff black men do to survive. I've also heard it is also an acronym for The Hate u Give or something. So I think there is a clear connection to black culture at least if not black people specifically. Although I have several white relatives who think they're thugs and would be honored to be called that.
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