Young Stoner’s Life bossman and the legendary Atlanta-based emcee Young Thug made his appearance after the release of YSL’s key member and Thug’s labelmate Gunna. While the ‘Drip Too Hard’ rapper – real name Sergio Giavanni Kitchens – has been released from Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail after he took the “Alford plea” in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges levelled against him and YSL, Thugger continues to be under trial for a range of criminal activities including murder, armed robbery, illegitimate possession of arms racing, reckless driving, and more.
Young Thug made his appearance before the court for further proceedings. Watch the clip below.
Young Thug – real name Jeffrey Lamar Williams – is one of the 28 members of the iconic Atlanta-based Hip-Hop act YSL arrested in May as part of the controversial RICO charges levelled against them. The indictment against YSL references “colors, clothing, tattoos, hand signs as well as verbal and written identifiers” that YSL allegedly uses, including wearing red or green bandanas, saying and writing the words “BLATT” meaning “Blood Love All the Time” or “SLATT” meaning “Slime Love All the Time.”
After his release from Fulton County Prison in ATL, Gunna revealed that he has refused to cooperate with the prosecutors any further about the RICO case. “While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” the “Pushin P” emcee said.
The far-reaching 56-count indictment seeks to portray YSL as a criminal gang behind serious crimes including additional gun and drug charges. Further, it uses YSL’s lyricism and music during the trial to indict Atlanta’s iconic Hip-Hop act. However, Gunna has asserted that neither he “did not consider it a ‘gang’; more like a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations.” He added, “My focus of YSL was entertainment — rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community.”
Speaking on his decision to take the Alford plea, Gunna said that he ‘loves and cherishes’ his “association with YSL music, and always will”.
“I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that ‘gangs’ and violence only lead to destruction,” Gunna said.
Young Thug is one of the most influential figures in modern rap who has inspired a generation of emcees with his distinct flow and avant-garde production. Young Thug and the remaining artists associated with YSL are yet to be freed from prison.
