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, 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, 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.
Young Thug is facing additional felony charges after investigators discover drugs and guns while raiding his Buckhead home. @wsbtvpic.twitter.com/gWDtmYVGza
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 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.
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.
Reporter: ‘The indictment’s got Young Thug, and a bunch of other rappers. But there’s one name I was expecting to see, and I didn’t, and that’s Jack Harlow. Can you speak to that?’
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
It’s obvious that Young Thug is the star of YSL Records’ new compilation Slime Language 2. Throughout the album’s 23 songs, Young Thug — and a squadron of high-profile guest stars — does the majority of the heavy lifting with his charisma and quick twists of wit.
That doesn’t mean that his artists get overshadowed by the star power present. Rather, the star power is Young Thug’s way of casting some halo effect on his expanded roster (four new rappers have joined since the group’s last Slime Language compilation in 2018).
A handful of them do rise to the occasion; YSL veteran Gunna, Lil Keed, and new addition Unfoonk (Thug’s own brother) acquit themselves admirably on the tracks where they’re left to their own devices.
On “Came Out,” Keed does his best to out-Thug Thug, bending and stretching his voice as much as he can, clearly inspired by his label boss’s own vocal contortions. Alongside Thug on “Real,” Unfoonk turns his sandpaper singing voice into a heart-tugging ballad.
And Gunna makes the most of his established chemistry with mega-star Drake on “Solid” and Young Thug on “Ski,” the album’s two most obvious standouts. “Ski” revisits the loopy energy of “Surf” from Thug’s 2019 album So Much Fun, while “Solid” is a murky excursion in the vein of Drake’s own cameo on Future’s 2020 hit “Life Is Good.”
Elsewhere, Slime Language 2 highlights Thug’s transparently generous efforts to put his people on as much as it does his skills as a talent scout. Sorry if that reads kind of negative, but the loyalty is on full display on lackadaisical cuts like “Slatty,” where Yak Gotti and Lil Duke — two of Thug’s longest-tenured signings — turn in forgettable verses to start the project.
The Lil Uzi Vert-featuring “Proud Of You,” another clear standout, also wears out its welcome by the time Young Kayo’s verse comes in, and Kayo does very little to save it. On “I Like” with Coi Leray, Karlae — Thug’s longtime girlfriend — swings between lightweight crooning and upbeat rapping but gets washed out by her guest star and undermined by generic rhymes (at one point, she quotes Muhammad Ali out of context, making me wince at the Citizen Kane of it all).
T-Shyne shows off multiple flows on “Warrior,” as well as some Young Thug-ish ad-libs, impressing by virtue of his flow’s polish, if not his bars (guest rapper Big Sean steals the show). Strick’s laid-back verse alongside Kid Cudi on “Moon Man” is a slow-burner, with a creeping, “grows on you” quality. These are two of the label’s vets, so it makes sense they have the most technical skill and experience, if not very much to say.
HiDoraah and Dolly White, Thug’s sisters, put forth dry efforts on their respective solo tracks, underscoring the gift and the curse of the YSL co-sign. Thug seems to be a great person, creating opportunities for his friends and families by leveraging his status as one of hip-hop’s biggest draws after years of uncertain footing and controversial reception.
It means a lot that he’d put his reputation — something he fought for and earned over the course of a decade of old-head snipes about his clothes, flow, and rumored sexuality — on the line for his folks. But we’ve likely heard the best from the label in projects like Wunna and Trapped On Cleveland 3 — there’s a reason Keed and Gunna have received the most commercial success to date.
By calling in so many famous friends for support, Thug does put his artists in a position to receive a lot of attention, but perhaps they’d have been better off keeping things more self-contained, giving YSL’s roster more space to showcase their standalone work. The contrast the guests unintentionally create between truly creative, self-sufficient artists and the still-developing talents of Thug’s musical mafia casts the latter in a less favorable light than they should want at the moment.
But there are bright spots and there’s always room for improvement, even among the less original members of the collective. And at least they can be assured they’ve got the support of their head honcho, which is a lot more than many, many rappers signed to other rappers can say — a blessing that may pan out as they work to forge their own paths beyond Young Thug’s footprints in the sand.
Slime Language 2 is out now Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
(@WaveyForever) 
