Hip Hop News

Young Thug’s Attorney Speaks: “[He] Committed No Crime Whatsoever”

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The explosive news about the arrests of Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 of their alleged associates has shocked Hip Hop. It wasn’t the way that anyone believed this week would begin, but according to reports, Thugger and Gunna have been named in a 56-count indictment that alleges the two chart-topping rappers were involved in gang activity. The reported racketeering case seems to have been developing for some time as outlets have mentioned that the authorities have accused Thug, real name Jeffrey Williams, rented a vehicle that was later used in a murder of an alleged rival gang member. The alleged crimes reportedly occurred between 2013 to 2022.

Gunna’s involvement is reportedly less serious, although authorities have noted that the rapper has worn pendants, chains, and rapped lyrics about his affiliation with YSL—Young Stoner Life or Young Slime Life. According to prosecutors, YSL is a gang and in a RICO case, if it can be proven that someone is a part of the said gang, they, too, can rack up charges that their associates are responsible for.

Young Thug
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We previously reported on the allegations as soon they were made public, but news reporters have since caught up with Young Thug’s lawyer. When asked for a statement, attorney Brian Steel kept things brief.

“I’ll tell you the response to any allegation; Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” said Steel. As far as Gunna is concerned, his lawyer has yet to come forward. However, there have been professionals dissecting the case online. A major mention is the allegations that two YSL associates went to Thug to gain permission for a second murder attempt on YFN Lucci, someone Thugger had beef with in the past.

We’ll continue to keep you updated. Thug is reportedly scheduled to make his first court appearance tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m. Read through more updates below.

Young Thug
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Young Thug
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Young Thug And Gunna Among 28 People Named In 56-Charge Indictment In Atlanta, Facing RICO, Murder, Armed Robbery Charges

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According to several confirmed reports, Young Thug, Gunna and 28 other YSL members were named in a 56-count indictment, facing charges of murder, armed robbery and RICO(Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). As a result of the indictment out of Fulton County, Young Thug was arrested and taken into custody.

The indictment, which was obtained by WSB-TV’s Michael Seiden, says that Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was accused of renting a 2014 Infiniti Q50 sedan from Hertz, which was used in the murder of Donovan Thomas Jr. in January 2015. Prosecutors have also alleged that two YSL associates, Christin Bellinger and Antonio Sumlin, tried to get Young Thug’s permission to make a second murder attempt on TFN Lucci’s life while behind bars in the Fulton County Jail.

Thugger and Gunna were both taken into custody and being held at the Fulton County Jail and charged with charged with conspiracy to violate the RICO act and participation in criminal street gang activity.

The post Young Thug And Gunna Among 28 People Named In 56-Charge Indictment In Atlanta, Facing RICO, Murder, Armed Robbery Charges appeared first on The Source.

Lauren London Approves Of Kendrick Lamar’s Tribute To Nipsey Hussle On ‘The Heart Part 5’

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Kendrick Lamar shook the rap world on Sunday night with the release of “The Heart Part 5.” The track stood as the rapper’s first release as a lead artist in four years and it’s one that arrives as he prepares to release his long-awaited fifth album, Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers. He released a music video with the track, and in it, Kendrick uses deep fake technology to morph into several faces that included OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollet, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. Kendrick also raps from Nipsey Hussle’s perspective on the song’s final verse.

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Lauren London

In the song’s final bars, Kendrick addresses Blacc Sam, Nipsey’s older brother, directly in a string of bars. “And Sam, I be watchin’ over you / Make sure my kids watch all my interviews / Make sure you live out our dreams we produced,” Kendrick raps. “Keep that genius in your brain on the move / And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail / Make sure them babies and the leaders outta jail / Look for salvation when troubles get real / ‘Cause you can’t help the world until you help yourself.” The verse has been approved and supported by many, including Lauren London who was Nipsey’s longtime partner prior to his death.

London posted a clip of Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5” video with the message, “Powerful art,” attached to it.

You can view London’s message in the screenshot above.

Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bobby Brown Speaks On Madonna & Janet Jackson Romances In Upcoming Doc

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Be prepared to learn much more about Bobby Brown, from his days before New Edition all the way up until now. The R&B icon has spent most of his life in the limelight and we’re going to hear about his experiences, directly from his mouth. We’ve already received a biopic that covered some of the more controversial moments in Brown’s life, including his drug addictions and a tumultuous marriage to Whitney Houston, but there is much more to the superstar than anyone can imagine. 

Biography: Bobby Brown is a two-part documentary that will air on A&E later this month, but teasers from the feature have already been shared. During his interview, Brown made several revelations about his interactions with other music stars including Madonna and Janet Jackson.

Brown admitted that during his career peak, he was battling sex addiction.

“Did I sleep with Madonna? We didn’t do any sleeping,” he reportedly said. “That just happened. I don’t even know how it happened. I don’t believe she knows how it happened. She probably knows how it happened, but we didn’t do no sleeping.” While things allegedly got hot and heavy with the “Like a Prayer” icon, Brown seemed to have more innocent affections for Jackson.

“Then there was Janet Jackson, I had a big crush on Janet,” said Brown. “What was it about Janet? Everything. Her little smile, body, her dance moves, her little laugh.” According to the New Edition singer, Jackson decided that she wouldn’t move forward with their relationship because she determined that she “couldn’t be with a man like myself.”

During Jackson’s recent documentary, she spoke candidly about her attraction to men she believed needed to be fixed.

Biography: Bobby Brown premieres May 30.

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Summer Walker Reacts To Antonio Brown Saying “There Is No Racism”: “He’s Lost It”

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Free-agent NFL star Antonio Brown has been busy as of late, but he took a few minutes out of his schedule to visit the We In Miami podcast where he dropped a few gems that made for controversial takes. The footballer-turned-rapper has reportedly been climbing the ranks of Kanye West’s Donda Sports, but he also recently released a new album that hosted features from several of our favorite popular artists. However, it wasn’t his talents on the field or bars in the booth that caused Brown to steal attention from social media.

A clip of Brown’s We In Miami appearance has been debated today (May 9) after he is seen speaking on people shifting their mindsets in order to live the lives they’ve always wanted.

“You don’t have to have self pity or be a mentality of being victimized,” he said. “There’s no racism, you can do what you want in America, in the world. Only you can breathe for yourself and like, only you can see with your own eyes, so, it’s up to what you want. I made a $100 million in football contracts.”

This didn’t bode over well for the general public, especially those who are currently enduring racism or have in the past. The Shade Room shared the video and it elicited thousands of responses, including one from Summer Walker.

“He’s lost it. I got fired from a job once for wearing my Afro, the manager said it reminded her of Erykah Badu but that’s not the look they were going for, along with mentioning, that’s not the style I had when they ‘hired me’,” the singer wrote. “I’ll never forget it.” Check it out for yourself below and let us know if you agree or disagree with Brown.

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Young Thug and Gunna Indicted on Racketeering, Gang Activity Charges

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Young Thug and Gunna have been busted on a series of racketeering and gang activity charges.

The rappers are among 28 defendants of Young Slime Life aka YSL charged in a 56-count indictment in Fulton County, reports Atlanta news station WSBTV.

Thug, born Jeffery Williams, has been taken into custody on charges of Conspiracy to Violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act & Participation in Criminal Street Gang Activity in connection with an incident that occurred on January 24, 2013. The gang charge is connected to an alleged offense from May 12, 2018.

The indictment describes YSL as a “criminal street gang that started in late 2012 in the Cleveland Avenue area of Atlanta.” It also claims that YSL is affiliated with the Bloods gang.

According to TMZ, agents raided Thug’s Atlanta home on Monday, taking down walls and digging up his backyard. He was taken out in handcuffs.

WSBTV’s Michael Seiden claims Thug is accused of renting a car that was used in the 2015 murder of 26-year-old Donovan Thomas.

Thug has maintained his innocence. “I’ll tell you the response to any allegation; Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” said his defense attorney Brian Steel.

Prosecutors allege that two associates of YSL, Christian Eppinger and Antonio Sumlin, worked to get Thug’s permission to make a second attempt to murder YFN Lucci, who was allegedly stabbed at Fulton Country Jail in February.

Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, has been charged with one count of conspiring to violate RICO. He was accused of appearing in a video released on social media titled “Fox 5,” wearing a YSL pendant and a Slatt pendant, with the lyrics “We got ten-hundred round choppers.”

Thug is slated to make his first appearance in court on Tuesday morning.

Young Thug And Gunna Were Among 28 YSL Members Charged With Racketeering, Murder, Armed Robbery, And More

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Young Thug’s Young Stoner Life (YSL) record label has been doing well over the past couple of years. The label reached new heights at the end of 2019 when Young Thug released his debut album So Much Fun and earned his and the label’s first No. 1 album. Their success continued in the years that followed as the label secured four more chart-topping releases: Gunna’s Wunna and DS4EVER, the label’s 2021 compilation album Slime Language 2, and Thug’s Punk. With all of this being said, it seems like all of it is about to come crashing down as Thug, Gunna, and 28 other members of YSL were hit with several federal charges.

The news was first broken by Michael Seiden from Atlanta’s WSBTV (via Complex). Thug and Gunna were among 28 YSL members charged in a 56-count indictment in Fulton County, Georgia. Thug was arrested and booked into Fulton County Jail and it’s unknown if Gunna or any other YSL members were taken into custody. The charges against YSL, which is characterized as a “criminal street gang,” include conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, murder, armed robbery, and participation in criminal street gang activity. Gunna is reportedly facing one count of conspiracy to violate (RICO), while Thug’s charges are much more serious.

According to Seiden, who looked over an 88-page indictment letter, Young Thug is accused of commissioning the use of a 2014 Infiniti sedan that he rented from Hertz used in the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas Jr. Additionally, two YSL associates, Christian Eppinger and Antonio Sumlin, are accused of seeking Thug’s permission to make a second murder attempt on YFN Lucci during his imprisonment in Fulton County Jail.

You can view more information on Thug, Gunna, and the other YSL members’ arrests in the posts above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

J. Prince Blasts Wack 100 Over Larry Hoover Interview: “I Don’t F*ck With Him”

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As Hip Hop awaits more news about Young Thug, Gunna, and the 26 others that were recently arrested on RICO charges, two OGs are going at it. Apparently, there were some dealings between J. Prince and Wack 100 on behalf of Larry Hoover, and things seemed to have gone left. Prince has been fighting for Hoover’s release from prison and in an audio message he posted to his Instagram page, the Rap-a-Lot Records icon detailed his contention with the music manager.

“It’s no secret that I, along with the Hoover family, lawyers, and friends are fighting hard for Larry Hoover freedom,” said Prince in the clip. “Meanwhile, this dude Wack and Karen Chapman, has taken the position to work against the Hoover family by trying to monetize off his name and whole footage that could contribute to his freedom.”

“So, if it’s one thing this Wack dude is telling the truth about is that I don’t f*ck with him,” Prince continued. “When I was in L.A. talking to this lyin’ ass n*gga, never once did he take the position that he was partners in the theft of the Hoover family’s like he’s doing in that rehearsed conversation with them clowns.” It seems that Prince was referencing a Clubhouse discussion. “Now, what he is not telling the truth about is why. So, listen up, there’s a woman by the name of Karen Chapman that was entrusted by the Hoover family to interview Larry Hoover with the understanding of bringing the interview back to the family.”

“She decided to run off with the interview and a fake fraud contract claiming Larry Hoover signed all his rights away for nothing,” he added. “Larry Hoover is far from being a dummy, so for Wack and Karen to be taking a position on disrespecting the Hoover family by attempting to sell Larry Hoover’s likeness without the family’s permission is a mistake—for whomever [is] considering buying it.”

“I been around a long time and I know when someone is trying to set me up with police conversations,” said Prince, adding that this is why he’s not going to plead his case or listen to anyone else’s on Clubhouse. “But I tell you what, I don’t know if you were violated on the block or what, but all that snake, jealousy, and hate sh*t that you have in your heart n*ggas, bring that sh*t to Dr. Prince and I’mma cure you of that disease.”

J. Prince’s poignant comments weren’t lost on Wack 100 who responded by sharing a video image that detailed their text messages. 

“YOU CAN ARGUE WITH THAT. ALL OF SUDDEN YOU DON’T KNOW NOTHING,” he said. “ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY CONVERSATION. ALL OF A SUDDEN NONE OF THIS EVER HAPPENED. MY COAST IS MY COAST MY TEAM IS MY TEAM.” Check it all out below.