YSL Records

Young Thug-Protege Lil Keed Dead At 24, Hip-Hop Mourns

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Young Thug-protege and 300 Entertainment/YSL Records-signed recording artist Lil Keed passed away at Burbank Hospital in Los Angeles on Friday (May 13) — according to the artist’s family members, girlfriend and reps.

The cause of death is currently unknown at this time. More on the passing as information becomes available. Lil Keed’s brother and Atlanta rapper Lil Gotit and longtime girlfriend Quana Bandz, who also shares a child with Keed, shared tearful tribute messages with fans via Instagram on Saturday morning (May 14)

MORE: EyeOnEyez Releases new single “SHYNE” Ft. Lil Keed and Frankie Smallz “Listen Here”

“Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy,” wrote Lil Gotit in an Instagram post early Saturday morning (May 14).

“I love you sooooo much baby what I’m post to do with out you I can’t breathe right sleep right nothing I don’t even wanna talk to nobody Keed I can’t take this,” shared Quana Bandz in the captions of a tribute post on Instagram with a series of photos and videos with Lil Keed and her together. “What am I supposed to tell Naychur? What am I gone tell our new baby ? Keed I just told you the other day if you left me with these two kids I was gone loose my mind my Mind is lost baby. You told me everything I’m sooooo sorry I didn’t fly to LA I know I could’ve saved you baby you really showed me all you needed was MY LOVE you gave me that I gave you that. IM SORRY please just tell me this a dream come home. YOU PROTECTED US. Whyyyy DADDY. You a fighter bru I was on my way I was RAQHID …..these 8 years you been in my life you showed me nothing but love I’m sorry baby I’m sorry for whatever I did anything I did I’m sorry let me make it better You my backbone you my spine you my heart baby IF I DONT KNOW ANYTHING I KNOW YOU LOVE ME & MY BABY MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD 💚😢 WE fight we argue but you know we was what each other needed… YOU GAVE ME THE WORLDDDDDDDDD. Anything I wanted …. Needed you got it / did it for me with no questions ask! BABY you was just on the phone with me in the bed HOW you leave like that without saying that was gone be your last goodbye your last I love you our last FaceTime ! SMH baby please tell me I’m dreaming I wanna wake up and this shit be a dream. CALL ME BACK DADDY. My head spinning 😵‍💫 my body numb I don’t even feel myself typing Raqhid you know I’m so weak for you baby WEAK AS HELL for you . SOOOOOOO WEAK SO WEAKKKK SO FUCKINNNN WEAK FOR U BRO THIS SHIT HERE HIT HARD. WHO IM GONE MAKE LOVE TO NOW ???? WHO GONE KISS ME IN MY SLEEP ALL NIGHT? Who gone rub my Belly ? RAQHID WHY U LEAVEEEEE ME MAN. You was my boyfriend my best friend my slime my twin my ride or die! WHATEVER u on you know I was on it 10x Worst. THESE FUCK ASS NIGGA KNOW THEY COULDNT FUCK WITH U AND THEY HATE THEY. MY BD NEVER LACK YALL PUSSY ASS NIGGAS DONT NEED TO BE ACTIN LIKE THIS YALL BODY EITHER. GOD WANTED MY BOY HOME he had better plans. SLAT IN PEACE PRINCE SLIME 💚 WE LOVE U FOREVER I hope I have a son he gone be your 1st JR🤰🏽👨‍👧 #LONGLIVEPRINCESLIME ❤”

Hailing from Atlanta, Lil Keed broke onto mainstream hip hop with his trio of breakout mixtapes in the Trapped in Cleveland series. After catching the attention of Young Thug, Keed signed with 300/YSL in 2020 and appeared on the YSL compilation albums Slim Language and Slim Language 2. Keed recently appeared on his brother and Ty Dolla Sign’s collaboration “Rich $hit.”

Along with Lil Gotit and Quana, other hip hop stars paid tribute to the late-artist, including Lil Yachty, Trippie Redd and Westside Gunn. “Damn Keed” tweet Gunn on Twitter with sad face and hand in front of his face emojis. Trippie Redd shared a video of him and Keed on stage with the caption, “Me and Keed talking to ummmm…”

See more tributes below:

MORE: Jimmy Bolt & Lil Keed Join Forces for “Wolves”

Lil Keed was working on his upcoming album before his passing. No official word on the forthcoming Lil Keed project’s status or release schedule at press time.

Lil Keed is survived by his daughter, Naychur. He was 24-years-old.

We at The Source would like to send our prayers and condolences to the family, friends and fans of Lil Keed. Rest in peace.

The post Young Thug-Protege Lil Keed Dead At 24, Hip-Hop Mourns appeared first on The Source.

Tekashi 6ix9ine Lambasts Young Thug After His RICO Arrest

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Tekashi 69 once again reminds the world that he has no problem kicking you when you’re down. The notorious New Yorker took to Instagram to make fun of Young Thug on the heels of his recent arrest for RICO charges. Posting a picture on his Instagram story of Thug in a dress wearing lipstick, 6ix9ine joked “Now he can be himself.” He continued on the next slide with more pictures of the Atlanta rapper in dresses, stating “I wish it was fake.”

He pump-faked being done with the jokes, stating “Ok I’m done Na, free sis, I mean bro” before sharing a clip of Young Thug saying “I want your man.” 69 replied, “there’s plenty men in there.” 69 also targeted Gunna, who surrendered himself to Fulton County officials on Wednesday (May 11), sharing a clip of the rapper from the 2021 movie Dutch. The “Pushin P” rapper is being questioned by the police in an orange jumpsuit and requesting McDonald’s in exchange for information.

It is unclear whether Tekashi intends to troll the other members of the crew, as many more were named in a lengthy 88-page indictment on Monday (May 9) that accuses them all of being in a criminal organization dating back to 2013, with Thug at the helm. Young Thug appeared before a judge on Tuesday (May 10) and was read his charges, which include conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in addition to criminal street gang activity, namely the murder of a rival gang member Donovan Thomas Jr. in 2015 and the jail stabbing of YFN Lucci earlier this year.

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

Young Thug And Gunna Were Denied Bond In Their Racketeering Case

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Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other members of their YSL crew are having — to put it lightly — a rough week. On Monday, they were charged with 56 counts of conspiracy to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, including violations for drugs, guns, and even murder. An 88-page indictment filled with Young Thug lyrics led to their arrests, with Gunna turning himself in on Wednesday. Now, it looks like they’ll be stuck at Fulton County Jail for a while; the rappers were denied bond requests as the presiding judge declared them a flight risk, according to local news.

In addition to the initial two charges against Thug, seven more were added as a result of a raid at his home in Buckhead; those charges include possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute, possession of illegal firearms, and participation in criminal gang activity. According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, YSL is considered a “hybrid criminal gang,” with both the label and the wider association around it tied to the Bloods. Meanwhile, both Thug and Gunna, through their lawyers, have maintained their innocence. Some observers have also disputed the use of their lyrics as evidence to tie them to a larger conspiracy.

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

Young Thug Was Charged With Seven More Felonies After Police Raided His Home

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Young Thug, already facing several felonies in the racketeering indictment against him and YSL Records, was charged with seven additional felonies after police raided his home. According to WSBTV reporter Michael Seiden, Thug was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a dangerous weapon or silencer, which could include sawed-off-shotguns, sawed-off rifles, or machine guns.

He was also charged with three counts of unlawful participation in criminal gang activity while employed by/associated with a criminal street gang, which is at the root of the case against YSL. According to prosecutors, Young Slime Life, the crew from which Young Stoner Life Records takes its name, is a “hybrid” criminal street gang associated with the larger Bloods organization (insomuch as the Bloods are an actual organization, which… nah). 28 people from the crew, including Young Thug and his artist Gunna, were named in the 88-page indictment and initially charged with 56 felonies, including armed robbery, murder, and conspiracy to violate The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

The additional charges are lousy news for Thug. Initially, the evidence against him seemed to mainly focus on using his lyrics to prove his affiliation with the “gang.” Now, though, he could face larger consequences from the illegal firearms and drugs.

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

Gunna Surrenders And Is Booked In The Racketeering Case Against YSL Records

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Gunna has surrendered and was booked into the Fulton County Jail today after being charged with racketeering on Monday along with 27 other members of his label, YSL Records, including the label’s founder, Young Thug. Prosecutors are calling YSL — Young Stoner Life — a criminal street gang. According to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, Gunna — real name Sergio Kitchens — is charged with a single count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Overall, 56 counts (including armed robbery and murder) were issued to the 28 suspects in the case in an 88-page indictment that includes multiple instances of Young Thug’s lyrics.

Gunna is fresh off the release of his second No. 1 album, DS4EVER, which was released in January of this year and led by the trend-sparking single, “Pushin P,” which also featured Young Thug. Gunna’s promotion for the album included a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, as well as participating in a sketch begging for Netflix to include a “short-ass movies” category — a request to which the streaming platform happily obliged. Other companies also adopted his “Pushin P” slang, showing how much his profile had risen in the years since he and Lil Baby teamed up to release Drip Harder. Unfortunately, he could now see his career derailed by the ongoing RICO case, in which some members of YSL could be facing life in prison.

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

Here’s Why A Reporter Thought Jack Harlow Should Be Included In The Young Thug RICO Case

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Last night, Young Thug was arrested — along with 27 others, including Gunna — and charged with criminal conspiracy under the RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. An 88-page indictment accused Thug’s label, YSL Records of being a gang, charging them with — among other things — armed robbery and murder. The indictment cites as evidence lyrics to songs such as “Ski” and “Slatty” from the group’s 2021 compilation album Slime Language 2, describing Thug’s appearance in these and other music videos as an “overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”

Today, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis responded to reporters’ questions about the indictment during a press conference. Among the questions were issues of prisoner safety, with some members of the so-called conspiracy charged with targeting rival rapper YFN Lucci in jail, and potential sentences, which could see some members serve life in prison. However, one reporter’s question proved confusing not just for Willis but also for fans watching online. The off-screen reporter mentions a name being excluded from the indictment documents that struck rap fans as out of place: Jack Harlow.

“The indictment’s got Young Thug, and a bunch of other rappers,” he asked. “But there’s one name I was expecting to see, and I didn’t, and that’s Jack Harlow. Can you speak to that?” Willis, presumably unfamiliar with Harlow’s work — there’s a lot of that going around, to be fair — responded with a pat answer about making sure the case focused only on viable targets, but unfortunately for the reporter, the damage was already done as Twitter lit up with bemused and critical responses to his faulty information.

It appears that, perhaps in a rush to research potential questions for this afternoon’s conference, the reporter checked Twitter (to be fair, due diligence in this era) for background on the suspects. However, wading into those waters without the proper context and experience can be a bewildering experience for anyone and in this case, it looks like he mistook several joking references to Jack Harlow as proof of his YSL membership.

Although Jack and Thugger are both on labels distributed by Atlantic Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, Jack is actually a signee of DJ Drama and Don Cannon’s Generation Now imprint, also the home of Lil Uzi Vert and rising rapper Killumantii. Meanwhile, YSL is home to artists such as Lil Keed, Strick, and T-Shyne, as well as in-house producers Taurus, Turbo, and Wheezy. And while your average rap journalist could probably reel off these names from the top of their noggins, crime and city reporters would do well to double-check their sources as the case unfolds.

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

YSL First Lady Karlae Drops ‘Did That’ and ‘Blind’ Ahead of Upcoming Project

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Karlae carries the title of YSL First Lady title high with her latest release “Did That.”

The track samples Mase’s hit song, “Feel So Good,” taken from Kool & The Gang’s “Hollywood Swinging.” As one of the heirs of Bad Boy Records, King Combs even makes a cameo in the video as well.

Karlae is fresh off the heels of last month’s release, “Blind.” The Lil Yachty assisted single displays Karlae’s versatility as she sings the hook and raps over Murda Inc sampled “Down 4 U.”

The video shows Karlae as a school girl, while Yachty plays her classmate and love interest.

The ATL-based artist first stepped onto the scene with a cameo on the YSL compilation, Slime Language. It was followed by the Young Thug and Gunna assisted single, “Jimmy Choo.” Last year the label released its sequel to the compilation, Slime Language 2, where Karlae shined on both “I Like” with Coi Leray and “Trance” with Yung Bleu.

Karlae’s previous works puts the momentum in her favor for what’s to come on her forthcoming EP, Enter.

The post YSL First Lady Karlae Drops ‘Did That’ and ‘Blind’ Ahead of Upcoming Project appeared first on The Source.

Kevin Durant Executive Produced YSL Records Rapper T-Shyne’s New Album With Young Thug

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The connections between the modern NBA and hip-hop are growing all the time and with the latest announcement out of Young Thug’s YSL Records camp, they’ve become the most pronounced they’ve ever been. YSL Records fixture T-Shyne is set to release his new album, Confetti Nights, which is naturally executive-produced by YSL’s founder Young Thug on April 1… along with some help from none other than the Brooklyn Nets’ recently returned All-Star forward, Kevin Durant.

It’s not the first time that an NBA player applied their talents to musical curation. In 2021, Durant’s fellow NBA champ Kawhi Leonard executive produced the Culture Jam Vol. 1 compilation featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Polo G, Rod Wave, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard, the All-Star guard for the Portland Trailblazers, has had a flourishing rap career as Dame D.O.L.L.A., dropping four studio albums that featured Lil Wayne, Raphael Saadiq, and Snoop Dogg.

In addition to producing albums, Durant has also been a movie producer, commissioning the Basketball County: Something In The Water documentary in 2020. Durant’s music connections came in handy there, too, as he recruited fellow Prince George’s County native IDK as music supervisor for the film.

Meanwhile, YSL Records is coming off a stellar 2021 that saw Young Thug’s Punk on the Billboard charts, followed this year by Gunna’s outstanding DS4EVER. With plenty of the roster yet to release — Lil Keed, Strick, and others are especially anticipated — 2022 figures to be another pivotal year for the Atlanta-based label.

Confetti Nights is due 4/1 via YSL and 300 Entertainment.

Young Thug, Kid Cudi, And Strick Share A Massive Stack Of Pancakes In Their Trippy ‘Moon Man’ Video

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Who knew Kid Cudi, Young Thug, and Strick loved pancakes so much? A massive, syrup-covered plate of the starchy breakfast favorite features prominently in the trio’s new video for “Moon Man,” along with the usual assortment of YSL Records’ signature snakes, beautiful women, and one trippy camper van where they share the bountiful breakfast and perform their verses.

“Moon Man” appears on YSL Records’ April album release Slime Language 2, which showcases the non-Young Thug talent of Thug’s label. “Moon Man” is one of Strick’s standout tracks on the album, while the song takes its title from one of Kid Cudi’s nicknames. Among the tracks that appear on the project, singles included the Drake-featuring “Solid” with Thug and Gunna, the TikTok-favorite “Ski,” which spawned its own dance challenge, and “Real,” which saw Thug teaming up with his brother Unfoonk to show off the latter’s melodic gifts.

The group also used the album’s release as an opportunity to do some good in the hood, paying bail for 30 Fulton County Jail inmates and providing them a family dinner with their loved ones in the video for “Paid The Fine.” Looking to the future, Thug is set to release his next album Punk in the coming months, while Cudi features in the Netflix movie Don’t Look Up.

Watch Young Thug and Strick’s “Moon Man” video featuring Kid Cudi above.

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

Young Thug And Gunna Paid Bail For 30 Fulton County Jail Inmates

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While riding high on the streaming success of their recently released compilation album Slime Language 2 and collaborative single “Ski,” Young Stoner Life Records rappers Gunna and Young Thug performed a little community service over the weekend, paying bond for 30 inmates of the Fulton County Jail according to Atlanta local news. The two Atlanta natives shared a video of former inmates being reunited with family members as they were released; most were being held on minor charges but didn’t have enough to post bond.

As Thug explained, “This is where we are from. We just woke up and went to the jail with the lawyer and DA’s and the prosecutors, the bonding companies, and just got as many people as we can out.” Gunna echoed, “You never know what somebody been through. There was people sitting out three or four years and couldn’t get out on a bond. If they did the crime, then they can do the time, then it’s all right. But it’s like you’re giving them a bond higher than what they stole.”

According to WSBTV, the jail was 400 inmates over its 2,500 inmate capacity just two months ago — during a global pandemic(!) — and a city councilman described the conditions as the worst he’d ever seen. And although the rappers didn’t know how much money they spent on this photo opportunity — yes, the scenes will be part of an upcoming music video — they also promise it’s not going to be a one-time event, encouraging their peers to follow their lead.

Other music videos from the compilation — which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week — include Thug and Unfoonk’s “Real.”

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