Earlier this month, Jeffery “Young Thug” Williams along with 26 other Young Stoner Life (YSL) members including Gunna, were arrested on the charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. Cobb County Jail is where Young Thug currently resides after having his bond denied by Judge Glanville in Marietta, Georgia.
According to ABC News, the 56-count indictment of the YSL affiliates includes several Thugger rap lyrics dating back from 2016 to 2021 that are being used as evidence in the case. A few of the tracks include “Anybody,” “Take It To Trial,” “Ski” featuring Gunna and one of his most popular singles, “Slatty.”
Young Thug's lyrics are used as alleged evidence in a RICO indictment. https://t.co/1ZLxb84R3G
— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2022
The prosecution is standing its ground with the right to use lyrics in the courtroom as they stated that Thug’s words are “preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power, and territory of the enterprise [YSL].” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also expressed beliefs that YSL’s actions and lyrics make them directly liable for “in excess of 50” murders due to gun violence since 2015.
One track heavily cited in the indictment is in Thugger’s “Slatty” verse. At about 48 seconds into the song, he raps, “I killed his man in front of his momma, like f**k lil’ bruh, sister and his cousin/I shoot out/Kill ’em, not leaving a trace.”
Young Thug’s attorneys are set to state their case for a bond in court on June 2. However, in the meantime, prosecutors have filed a motion to have Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, removed from the case altogether over an alleged conflict of interest.
Courtroom observations: Friends and family of Young Thug & Gunna came out to show support for the rappers. A family member started sobbing after the judge denied bond for Gunna.@wsbtv
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) May 23, 2022
On a more positive note, the courtroom was filled with family and friends of Young Thug and Gunna, offering their support as Gunna was denied bond.
Prosecutor Don Geary argued that Gunna is one of the leaders of YSL and in a “command” position and has the ability to order hits and could intimidate witnesses. Ultimately, Judge Glanville decided it was too much of a risk to let Gunna back out.
As this case continues to unfold, both Young Thug and Gunna, who both recently appeared on Future‘s, “For A Nut” track, were set to hit the 2022 Hot 97 Summer Jam stage in June ahead of the indictment.