Georgia’s Fulton County’s District Attorney Fani Willis is quite the controversial figure these days for her involvement in a Donald Trump case and her leadership in the YSL RICO trial. Moreover, while most would characterize the latter as a loss for the State, she told WSB-TV Atlanta Channel 2‘s Mark Winne during a recent interview that she has no regrets about moving forward with that proceeding. If Willis could do it all over again, she said, she would. According to her, it’s part of the reason why citizens elected her and part of the job that her constituents want her to carry out, so she’ll swing and miss as much as she has to.
“There were lives lost and they’re lives that matter,” Fani Willis said of the YSL RICO case. “And as long as I’m the DA, no matter your socioeconomic status, or your race, your life is going to have value if you’re harmed in this community. […] Obviously when you try a case, you go back and you look at things and you always have a Monday morning quarterbacking analysis.”
Fani Willis, The District Attorney Going After YSL, In 2022
Feb 3, 2022; Atlanta, GA, United States; Fani Willis, District Attorney for Fulton County, opened an investigation last year, into any potential attempts to improperly influence the 2020 general election in Georgia by then President Donald Trump and his associates. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Chambers-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In addition, Fani Willis revealed that she plans to go after five other remaining YSL defendants, although it’s unclear who these defendants are. “I’m not going to get into the details of that case,” she remarked. “As you know, I have five defendants pending. […] I think [people forget] that many people took responsibility for their parts in that case.” Meanwhile, here’s what Fulton County Gang Prosecution Chief Chris Sperry had to say. “We’ve been prosecuting YSL gang members since before the YSL RICO and were going to continue to prosecute YSL gang members after the RICO,” he relayed.
However, one of the YSL RICO trial’s defendants launched a class action lawsuit against Fulton County Jail administrators, so this could be a more complicated effort in the public eye. Surely the near future will hold some more updates and clarifications on this move, which will come with its own issues. But for now, it seems like the State wants its get-back and still has more alleged crimes to prosecute.
Yak Gotti is finally going to be a free man. According to court room footage from DJ Akademiks on X, the YSL affiliate is not guilty on any of his charges. “You have been found not guilty on all charges,” the judge told Gotti and his attorney. After hearing that relieving news, all the rapper could do was send a prayer thanking God. He also let out a huge sigh of relief, and given all he’s been through, it’s more than understandable. Gotti was one of two members of Young Thug’s label to hear their fate in court today. The was found guilty on just one charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Overall, it’s really impressive comeback for YSL and his signees after a truly wild set of trials and hearings.
Speaking of which, yesterday was this entire case in nutshell. WSB-TV reported that on December 1, Gotti was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail. He sustained “minor injuries,” but was obviously and thankfully okay enough to be able to stand in court today. Right now, fans are extremely happy to see them win on social media. “YSL with the 3-1 comeback to beat the Rico love to see it,” one X user writes. “LETS GOOOOOOO,” another exclaims.
Others are just confused as to why this all took so long. “So the entire trial was a waste of everyone’s time,” another pens. With entire RICO ordeal now patched up, how the group moves going forward will be something to monitor closely. Do they drop new music sometime early next year? Do they take some time off to get their bearings?
Right now, things aren’t looking too great, at least in terms of Young Thug’s situation. He’s currently got a lot on his plate thanks to his 15 years of probation. Additionally, he seems to be totally done with Gunna, who he specifically requested to keep in contact with. Overall, it’s probably going to take a long time before things somewhat get back to normal. But at the end of the day, YSL is slowly getting back on its feet, and that’s what fans want to see.
Jeffery Williams and Sergio Kitchens quickly became one of the hottest rap duos not just out of Atlanta, but across the whole genre in the late 2010s. As Young Thug and Gunna, respectively, they cranked out hit after hit, with the former’s influence on the latter and their personal friendship resulting in undeniable chemistry. Despite a lot of legal roadblocks, challenges, and conflicts, the main public narrative maintained an air of support and brotherhood between them. So why do folks think – or perhaps know – that the “Hot” collaborators are now beefing with each other?
As you may imagine, the YSL RICO case threw a huge wrench into their relationship, especially following Gunna’s plea deal almost two years ago. Snitching narratives ensued, defenses emerged, and Young Thug was all quiet about the whole ordeal… Until now, allegedly. With all this in mind, we’re here to break down the history of their bond, their eventual success as label-bound collaborators, and their actions and developments during and after their stints in the YSL RICO trial that caused such public disarray with fans. While their relationship is still up in the air without a full-blown (and not deleted) statement from both sides, things don’t look too promising for any advocates for their unity. How did this happen?
Gunna first met in Young Thug in 2015 through mutual friend and community leader Keith “King” Troup. Wunna went to Thugger’s “With That” music video shoot for his Barter 6project in the south side of Atlanta in 2015, and from there, they formed a close friendship that eventually evolved into a collaborative relationship. Troup sadly passed away in December 2015, something that the “Sold Out Dates” rapper says strengthened his familial bond with his “Halftime” mentor.
August 26, 2016: Young Thug Introduces Gunna To The World
On August 26, 2016, Young Thug released his beloved mixtape JEFFERY, which featured superstar rappers like Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, and more. But this also became Gunna’s first introduction to a massive audience following an earlier mixtape under a different artist name from 2013. He appeared on the track “Floyd Mayweather” alongside La Flame and Guwop.
October 14, 2016: Drip Season & YSL Records Launch
The official connections for these next two events are a bit confusing, but here’s what we can gather. On October 14, 2016, Gunna released his debut mixtape under this artist name, Drip Season, and featured Young Thug on the track “Cop Me A Foreign.” This mixtape was released under YSL Records, which Thugger would officially announce as his new record label just a few weeks later on November 15. Furthermore, this social media announcement explained it as an imprint of 300 Entertainment. While it seems odd to have a project come out under a label that its founder announced weeks later, we presume that they still had some paperwork to sort out concerning these official launches that wouldn’t have impacted Drip Season‘s release.
February 2017: Wunna Is Officially YSL
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 2: Rapper, Gunna, performs during Day 2 of the Roots Picnic festival 2024, in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Brandon Laws/HotNewHipHop)
We told you this timeline is a tad confusing, didn’t we? Around February 2017, Young Thug and YSL Records officially announced that they signed Gunna to the imprint. Looking back, it’s unclear whether or not this was already public knowledge given Drip Season and the JEFFERY feature, but regardless, this is when things were set in stone for good. Also, the details of this record deal and how they relate to his subsequent release schedule are unclear when it comes to financial agreements, rights, number and nature of releases, etc. Nevertheless, the College Park native went into full gear with various albums and mixtapes under the label, including Drip Season 2 that year, Drip Harder with Lil Baby in 2018, 2020’s WUNNA, and 2022’s DS4EVER. And of course, Thug’s featured on all of them.
This is when the tale of Young Thug and Gunna takes a turn for the worse. On May 9, 2022, federal authorities indicted them along with 26 other YSL affiliates in a sprawling RICO case alleging various furtherances of criminal activity. Police arrested Thugger that same day, who faced the brunt of the charges as the purported leader of the supposed “gang.” On the other hand, Wunna turned himself in to authorities two days later on May 11. He faced a single count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The court denied both of them bond on several occasions as the rap world reacted to this shocking and stake-heavy move by prosecutors.
December 14, 2022: Gunna Takes A Plea Deal
Then, Gunna’s career took its most significant turn since its inception. On December 14, 2022, he took an Alford plea deal in the Young Thug and YSL RICO trial, which means that he pleaded guilty to his count of conspiracy to violate the RICO act while maintaining his claim of innocence. Authorities released him from prison the very same day. The Drip Or Drown spitter then put out a statement denying any sort of testimony, cooperation, interview, or other processes that would make him a “snitch,” as allegations about that behavior quickly emerged from the hip-hop world and beyond.
However, court footage shows that Gunna answered “Yes” to a couple of key questions while accepting his plea deal in the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. He affirmed that YSL is both a record label and allegedly a gang, that he had knowledge of crimes allegedly committed by its affiliates, that guns and drugs found by police during a search on a car that he was in along with Young Thug were not his, that YSL is allegedly a gang that must end, and that he furthered the alleged crimes of the collective through his music.
June 16, 2023: Wunna Drops, And Young Thug Follows
About six months after Gunna’s plea deal, he dropped his comeback album a Gift & a Curse via YSL Records with no features on June 16, 2024. The album continues to speak on the YSL RICO case and against allegedly false snitching allegations, which some rappers like Lil Durk and Lil Baby seemingly espoused through subliminal lyrics. That’s in addition to the broader conversation labeling him as a “snitch.” The LP was a commercial success and held hit singles like “fukumean.” A week later on June 23, Young Thug dropped an album of his own, BUSINESS IN BUSINESS, while still in jail on RICO charges.
It’s important to note that neither Gunna nor Young Thug featured on each other’s projects from this year. In addition, while Thugger remained silent on his relationship with Wunna, his “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” collaborator has remained publicly supportive of Thug and YSL ever since his plea deal. This came amid unconfirmed and seemingly misguided rumors that Wunna wanted to leave YSL Records, plus the discussion around the snitching allegations that the hip-hop community and beyond engaged in.
May 10, 2024: One Of Wun
Amid Young Thug’s trial in the YSL RICO case, Gunna dropped yet another album on May 10, 2024. One Of Wun featured artists like Offset and Roddy Ricch, and some fans speculated that some of its lyrics responded to rappers calling him a “snitch.” The new record was released via YSL Records once more.
As if the little text under an album on Spotify wasn’t enough, Gunna clarified his presence on Young Thug’s YSL Records via a video interview with the streaming platform’s RapCaviar playlist division, published on June 24, 2024 amid his tour. “I’m still signed to YSL,” he shared outside of his mother’s house. “I’m still providing. We’re still pushing. No paperwork has been changed, you know what I’m saying? So it’s like, whatever’s been getting and how we’ve been pushing this s**t, it’s still going.”
Via an Instagram Story post on August 4, 2024, YSL cofounder YSL Mondo retracted his previous claims that Gunna was a “snitch.” This was the latest defense of Wunna against the snitching allegations in his direction by key collective members before Young Thug’s release. For example, Thug’s father Jeffery Williams Sr. publicly expressed his support for him on multiple occasions, even popping out for one of his concerts and asking other rappers to stop speaking about him and the snitching allegations.
As a Halloween treat, fans learned that they might finally find an answer to the Young Thug and Gunna rumors. On October 31, 2024, Thugger entered a plea deal in the YSL RICO case that resulted in his freedom that very same day, with 15 years of probation to follow. As part of his release conditions, he and his lawyer Brian Steel asked if he could maintain his working relationships with Wunna and with Thug’s biological brother Unfoonk, who was also a codefendant in the YSL RICO case. This was because one of the probation guidelines barred contact with YSL affiliates, but Judge Paige Reese Whitaker approved both exceptions. In the “bread & butter” artist’s case, it was due to his contractual obligation to YSL Records.
November 9, 2024: Thugger Fans The Flames Of The Feud
Finally, we arrive at our current juncture and the most solid piece of “evidence” supporting Young Thug and Gunna’s beef. On November 9, 2024, the former tweeted and then quickly deleted the following message toward the latter: “Stop acting like we friends on the internet, I don’t know u my guy.” This followed some other curious social media messages from Thugger about collaborating with Lil Baby (a previous supposed Wunna critic) to “drop one on these rats.” Given the deletion of the tweet and its emergence so soon after his release from prison, many fans speculated that someone hacked his Twitter account to cause false division.
No matter whether Young Thug intended to publish this tweet shading Gunna or not, the message seems to have stuck. Wunna’s brother reportedly responded to this deleted tweet with the following message: “Trust and believe the feeling is mutual [blue P emoji].” Until we get a clear and direct statement from both rappers, it seems like this iconic rap camaraderie is over… For now.
Lately, there’s been a great deal of speculation about Young Thug’s relationship with Gunna. Throughout Young Thug’s incarceration, he kept fairly quiet about Gunna, despite rampant rumors that the “fukumean” performer snitched on him. Now, following his release late last month, Young Thug has fans feeling more confused than ever. As part of his plea deal, Young Thug cannot contact any alleged gang members or YSL affiliates. The only exceptions to this rule are his brother and Gunna, who he specifically requested permission to work with again. This led to theories that the two of them are on good terms, but now, supporters aren’t so sure.
Over the weekend, Young Thug appeared to publicly diss Gunna in a simple tweet. “Gunna stop acting like we friends on the internet, I don’t know u my guy,” the now deleted post reads. In response, Gunna’s brother appeared to confirm that he feels the same way. “Trust and believe the feeling is mutual [blue P emoji],” he wrote.
During a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, he shared his take on the debacle and accused Young Thug of playing both sides of the fence. According to him, Young Thug has plenty of reasons to want to keep in contact with Gunna, namely money. “All this principle and moral sh*t, I’m sick of it. N****s is out here doing sh*t for the dollar that’s better than them. I’ve been fighting trial with the most high-priced lawyers in the universe, I’m taking care of a million n****s… You would be a fool to turn down your top-tier act or say ‘Yo, I’m standing on principle I’m not taking a dollar from you.’”
Budden isn’t the first to share his theory about the rumored beef, however. Shortly after Young Thug seemingly dissed Gunna on X, DJ Akademiks took to the platform to respond. “I been told y’all,” he wrote in part. “Thug told durk baby and a few other rappers that Gunna was no good while [in prison]. Meaning it aint no way he can come back out and justify rockin wit gunna when he told n***as not to rock wit gunna [while in prison].”
Young Thug’s RICO trial has already made plenty of headlines for courtroom antics, and this week was no exception. Recently, in a clip shared by Meghann Cuniff on X earlier today, the jury was shown security footage from an alleged strip club brawl involving Young Thug. Before the video was played, however, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker gave the jury a fair warning.
“You’re going to see some images that are things one might see at a strip club. So, be prepared,” she said. A retired detective on the stand couldn’t help but laugh at this explanation, as seen in the clip. The footage itself appears to show a man getting punched in the face and the chaos that ensues.
Judge Tells Jury To “Be Prepared” For Strip Club Fight Footage
“You’re going to see some images that are things one might see at a strip club. So, be prepared.”
Video of a strip club brawl is now evidence in the Young Thug / YSL trial, and a retired detective could barely stop giggling on the stand over the judge’s jury instruction. pic.twitter.com/cvpImUwi8C
The clip of the amusing moment surfaced just a few days after it was reported that a former Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested and hit with various charges. 31-year-old Kendra Bailey is accused of accepting bribes from inmates in exchange for drugs and other contraband. Allegedly, one of these inmates was also Marquavious “Qua” Huey, one of Young Thug’s co-defendants in his RICO case. She’s accused of two counts of bribery, four counts of oath violation, and two counts of receiving and handing off banned materials to inmates without authorization.
It also arrives weeks after the judge once again denied the defense’s motion for a mistrial. It was the 45th mistrial motion they’d filed, which set a new record. The trial had already set the record for the longest trial in Georgia’s state history, and unfortunately, it doesn’t show signs of coming to a end any time soon. What do you think of a judge’s disclaimer about footage of an alleged strip club brawl making a retired detective laugh on the stand? Can you blame him? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Drake has been vocal about his support for Young Thug online and in raps, but now he seems to be detailing it a bit more.
Sharing a selfie on his Instagram Story, Drake alludes to putting some money on Young Thug’s RICO case: “I ain’t talking to talk man I really put [bread emoji] on the [briefcase emoji] 3 Jeff.”
Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug used to be the best of friends back in the day. Overall, the two had some incredible collaborations, and fans were consistently tuning in to what they had to offer. Unfortunately, they eventually had a bit of a falling out. This subsequently left fans disappointed all while wondering what could have been. Meanwhile, Rich Homie Quan has been implicated in the YSL Rico trial, and at one point, was even on the witness list.
Yesterday, Rich Homie Quan was brought up in court. In fact, this led to a hilarious moment in which the prosecution asked Lil Woody a question about RHQ, which subsequently led to him repeating that question in Thug’s direction. Thugger couldn’t help but laugh and his lawyer Brian Steele also let out a hearty chuckle. Meanwhile, Akademiks posted an interview in which RHQ was asked about Woody’s alleged involvement in an Atlanta barbershop shooting that injured his father. The incident was even rapped about on the song “Daddy.”
As you can see in the clip above, Rich Homie Quan seemed pretty annoyed by the question. While he didn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty details, he claimed that Woody is a liar and is stretching the truth. Quan believes the YSL witness is exaggerating what went down and that the barbershop wasn’t even in operation when the shooting occurred. Today, the YSL Rico trial will continue. Lil Woody has been on the stand for weeks, and not much progress has been made, if any at all.
Let us know how you feel about these comments from RHQ, down below. Have you been keeping up to the date on the YSL Rico trial? If so, how do you feel about the recent comments made by the likes of Lil Woody in court? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Lil Woody’s apparent neighbor has leaked his location online as the rapper has been testifying in the ongoing YSL RICO trial. A man by the name of Terrell Titus posted: “This n***a walking round Atlanta like he ain’t just snitch on Young Thug [laughing emojis]. Woody a fool, and he live across the street from me.” No Jumper reshared the message on Instagram on Tuesday.
Woody has been making headlines for various antics during the YSL trial. He recently caught attention for asking the judge if he can show up late for court, firing his own lawyer on the stand, and more. On a more serious note, he admitted to lying about “almost everything” he said about Young Thug in 2015 in an effort to avoid jail time.
Young Thug’s Legal Team Arrives At Fulton County Courthouse
Brian Steel, attorney for rapper Young Thug, right, arrives at the Fulton County. Courthouse on November 27, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening statements are set to begin in the case against 31-year-old US rapper Young Thug and 28 others, who are facing a racketeering indictment accusing the defendants of a number of offenses that support an overarching conspiracy charge, including murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing, and theft. (Photo by Christian MONTERROSA / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
“Like I told you before y’all called me to trial, I have lied,” Woody said. “I made things up. I told you this before y’all brought me in this courtroom, and I’m telling you now. You asked me about 2015. I had got my life together. Y’all are trying to put this on my conscience, y’all are trying to put people’s lives in my hands. I don’t wanna be here. Y’all have pressured me, I’m tired of y’all, cause y’all know y’all wrong, and y’all Black people doing this to us”
Young Thug hasn’t had a ton of luck as of late, as he continues to battle RICO charges in a highly publicized trial. Earlier this week, a judge denied his request for release on bond. “I am not going to reconsider any bond issues that have already been ruled on absent legitimate changed circumstances,” she declared.
The judge in question was Paige Reese Whitaker, who was assigned to the case last month after two other judge’s recusals. While the rapper may not be seeing an end to his long-winded legal battle anytime soon, he’s got at least one thing going for him, his relationship with Mariah The Scientist. The Atlanta-born songstress was recently spotted supporting him in court, wearing a smile as she looked on from her seat.
Mariah has never shown any signs of straying from the relationship amid Young Thug’s incarceration. She opened up about her dedication in an interview last year, making it clear that she’s here to stay. “I feel like, and this is in all honesty, there is nobody on planet Earth that can get between me and supporting my man,” she told Access Atlanta. “I’m sorry, it’s just not gonna happen.”
Mariah has since been hard at work cheering Young Thug on from the outside. She’s also dealt with her own legal issues in recent months, however. In May, she was arrested for her alleged role in a brawl at a local club. She was later charged with simple battery and pleaded not guilty in July. Her lawyer Brian Steel also demanded a jury trial, and Mariah has maintained her innocence. What do you think of Mariah The Scientist continuing to support Young Thug amid his ongoing RICO trial? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
If you’ve been following the Young Thug and YSL RICO trial, you know that things are currently on hold due to Judge Ural Glanville’s ex-parte meeting with a witness (YSL Woody), Woody’s lawyer Kayla Bumpus, a court reporter, prosecutor Simone Hilton, and another prosecutor. For those unaware, an ex-parte meeting refers to a motion, hearing, or order requested by, and granted to, a single party in a court case. Specifically, Thugger’s lawyer Brian Steel asked for the recusal of Judge Glanville on the notion that this meeting violated various rules in the trial, including witness collusion for the benefit of the state.
“The problem with the meeting is not what was discussed,” Bumpus told The Shade Room‘s Justin Carter of this meeting in the Young Thug trial. “It’s that Mr. Copeland [YSL Woody] was already a sworn witness. So defense council should have at least known about the meeting. I did not tell Attorney Steel [about the meeting]. I do not know who told Attorney Steel. But once they told him, he came and questioned me and I then did give him a rundown of what happened in the meeting.”
Furthermore, Bumpus was allegedly filling in for a colleague in the Young Thug trial, and specifically for his ex-parte meeting. At press time, the court must wait for another judge to rule on the recusal motion and determine what will become of this YSL case. “We don’t want you in custody,” one of the prosecutors reportedly told YSL Woody. “I can’t say that any other different way, but we don’t want you in custody. The only thing that’s holding you is refusing to testify.”
YSL Woody had attempted to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights on the stand when he responded to a question about how old he was. Also, he tried to refuse immunity and be a state witness, but he ended up cooperating. In addition, Bumpus claimed that, while she didn’t tell Young Thug’s lawyer about the meeting, she did reveal more info about it once he asked. We’ll see whether these extra details and deliberations shift the tide of the case, or if things will go back to our regularly scheduled (and chaotic) court program.
on the 
3 Jeff” 
(@nojumper)