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Why Was Gunna Mentioned During Young Thug’s Trial?

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Gunna’s name was bound to come up in the racketeering trial against Young Thug eventually. After all, Gunna was signed to Young Thug’s record label, YSL (Young Stoner Life), and was indicted alongside him as a member of YSL (Young Slime Life), the alleged gang Thug is accused of leading to commit or incite dozens of violent crimes in and around the Atlanta area. Gunna has also fielded accusations of “snitching” ever since he accepted a plea deal in which he pled guilty to racketeering in exchange for time served and his eventual release.

While some fans, foes, and former friends might have expected Gunna to eventually take the stand, his name actually came up in an entirely different context during the trial as the testimony of Trontavious “Slug” Stephens — an accused co-founder of the alleged gang — continued. A prosecutor asked Slug whether Gunna is a member of a Crip gang, replying in the affirmative.

Since the prosecution’s case against YSL maintains that it’s a local offshoot of the wider Bloods organization, it seems like this line of questioning undermines the DA’s argument. If YSL were really a gang instead of just a record label, it would be unusual — to say the least — for it to also include an acknowledged member of a rival organization.

Slug’s testimony has offered a number of sound bytes so far, with mentions of LeBron James, Serena Williams, and more.

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

Why Was LeBron James Mentioned During Young Thug’s Trial?

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Georgia v. Jefferey Williams — also known as the “Young Thug RICO Trial” to rap fans and observers online — has been full of eyebrow-raising moments so far, from Thug’s defense lawyer’s questionable explanations for the rapper’s name and some of YSL’s slang to snippets of his music being played in court. Today’s proceedings continued that trend as even NBA star LeBron James was mentioned during witness testimony.

LeBron came up via a TikTok video introduced as evidence, which featured LeBron James going through his signature round of handshakes with his Lakers teammates in the tunnel before a game. A defense attorney showed the clip to alleged YSL gang leader Trontavious Stephens, then asked him if he recognized James and whether he could identify some of the hand gestures in it. Stephens, of course, answered in the affirmative — after all, James is one of the most famous people alive — then identified James’ nose-wiping gesture.

“Did you hear what Mr. James said as he wiped his nose?” the defense asked. The answer, “slime,” became the point of contention, as the defense attorney sought to make clear to the jury that if someone as prominent as LeBron James — who is not mobbed up or associated with a gang of any kind, unless the Lakers count — could use the term and wipe his nose as part of an elaborate handshake routine, then there’s little chance they could be solely associated with their use as gang signals, as the prosecution has suggested.

Stephens certainly cooperates, noting that the wiping of the nose gesture and the use of the term “slime” is not unique to the gang he and Thug are accused of leading. Of course, we won’t know how effective the arguments were on the jury until much, much later in the trial, which will continue for up to six months.

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

Young Thug’s YSL RICO Trial May Ban Cameras Thanks To A New Motion From The Prosecution

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The RICO trial against Young Thug and YSL resumed today, but there may be some changes going forward if the prosecution gets its way. According to Law&Crime Network producer Cathy Russon, the prosecution filed a motion asking Judge Ural Glanville to block video of witness testimonies for the rest of the trial. While audio would be allowed, witnesses’ full names would also be blocked from publication until after the testimonies. The matter of video will be settled during a hearing on Friday, February 2 at 3pm ET.

This appears to be a belated effort by the District Attorney’s office to protect its witnesses from possible retaliation or tampering efforts, something the prosecutors claimed they were worried about from very early on in the case. Witness tampering concerns were among the arguments against granting Thug and his co-defendants bond for the near-year they were incarcerated. Arguably, the strategy was at least partially effective in pulling plea deals out of many of the co-defendants, including from Gunna and Thug’s brother Unfoonk. Despite all of those deals being so-called “Alford pleas” in which they only pled guilty to being in a gang, they’ve face recriminations from fans and fellow rappers for the past year.

As long as the cameras ARE still rolling, you can still watch the YSL trial online as it continues.

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

How To Watch The Young Thug RICO Trial

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Hip- hop has seen its fair share of high-profile criminal trials, but perhaps none will be more impactful to the genre as a whole than the ongoing racketeering trial against Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his crew, YSL. While YSL is ostensibly the name of Thug’s record label, according to Georgia prosecutors, it’s actually the title of a violent street gang, Young Slime Life, with the trapper turned rapper at its head.

Over the past few months, it seems all of hip-hop culture’s eyes have been on the court proceedings due to the impact their outcome could have — not just on Young Thug and YSL, but on hip-hop as a whole. Because the Fulton County District Attorney’s indictment cites Thug’s lyrics as the main evidence against him for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the case has drawn national attention, with many observers calling this decision prejudiced against a musical form invented and primarily practiced by Black artists.

Because of the case’s import, plenty lf people will naturally want to follow it in real time, and fortunately for them, the trial is being livestreamed by multiple networks, a testament to public interest in the case. Among the networks livestreaming the trial are Fox 5 Atlanta, Law & Crime Network, and Atlanta News First.

In addition, in-depth coverage and commentary has been provided throughout by legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff, who gained attention during the assault trial against Tory Lanez for shooting Megan Thee Stallion (she aslo gained the affectionate nickname Meghann Thee Reporter from followers online). Her YouTube channel also includes a stream and her commentary with explanations and breakdowns for those viewers who aren’t familiar with legal proceedings.

The trial is currently on hiatus and scheduled to restart on January 22.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Why Did Young Thug’s ‘Lifestyle’ Play During The YSL RICO Trial?

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The racketeering trial against Young Thug and his record label, YSL Records, continued this week after being delayed by a stabbing involving one of the defendants. However, it didn’t take long for the trial to endure further interruptions. The Zoom call through which several of the participants were streaming experienced a break-in from a fan, who shouted “Free Thug! Mistrial!” several times before the stream was cut.

As the trial continued today, a more run-of-the-mill video was played in court: That of Rich Gang’s 2014 hit “Lifestyle” which featured Young Thug and fellow Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan. The video was apparently played by Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel as part of a line of questioning toward witness Trontavious “Tick” Stephen.

According to legal affairs reporter Meghan Cuniff, who has followed and reported the trial via livestream, the lawyer aims to demonstrate that Tick’s cooperation comes from his eagerness to cut his own sentence short, rather than any particular knowledge of alleged misdeeds committed by the supposed “gang,” YSL. From the clip played, it’s unclear how it’d play into Steel’s line of questioning, but according to Cuniff, the judge did not allow it to be admitted as evidence, preferring that it be submitted during a different testimony.

Unfortunately, as Cuniff points out, Steel won’t have much of an opportunity to do so for a while; Judge Ural Glanville has recessed the trial until January 22.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Thug’s Latest Court Appearance Prompts Weight-Gain Comments From Fans

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Fans are obsessed with Young Thug’s apparent weight gain as he’s been appearing in court for his ongoing RICO trial. With Thug rocking an unreleased Sp5der jacket in the Fulton County courthouse on Monday, users on social media couldn’t help but take note of his physical appearance. When RapTV posted a picture of the rapper on Instagram, followers flocked to the comments section with jokes. 

“Him and Gunna switched bodies,” one fan remarked. Another similarly wrote: “Gunna took some type of science experiment deal to get that body switch.” Authorities also arrested Gunna in the YSL indictment; however, he took a plea deal and was released from prison in December 2022.

Read More: Young Thug Court Photo Has Fans Thinking He Put On Weight

Young Thug & Gunna Attend BET Hip Hop Awards

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 01: Young Thug and Gunna attend the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on October 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

Users on Twitter also had jokes about Thug’s weight. “I’m suprised it still fits considering he put on weight!” one fan replied to a NoJumper post. Another joked: “That Ain’t a spider that’s a whole tarantula at this point.” Check out Thug’s outfit as well as some of the responses below.

Young Thug Appears In Court

 
 
 
 
 
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Thug’s trial resumed last week, after taking a brief delay to end 2023. Judge Ural Glanville postponed the court dates after the rapper’s co-defendant, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed in jail. “Given the length of time that we will probably address that, it might be just more prudent to recess you,” Glanville said at the time. “An early recess. Instead of recessing you this Friday as the Court’s plan was originally, I’m gonna recess you for the holidays, today.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Young Thug and his trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Young Thug’s Apparent Weight Gain Goes Viral

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Young Thug Back In Court As Trial Resumes

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Young Thug’s gang and racketeering trial resumed in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday after a three-week postponement. Judge Ural Glanville pushed back the trial in December due to the stabbing of one of the rapper’s co-defendants, Shannon Stillwell. He is also present in the Fulton County Courthouse.

Thug is on trial for allegedly participating in gang activity as well as conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. His charges stem from being the leader of YSL, which the prosecution claims has ties to the national Bloods organization.

Read More: Young Thug Delivers Loving Message To Mariah The Scientist In Court: Watch

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, as well as theft. (Photo by Christian MONTERROSA / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Shannon Stillwell was stabbed back on December 10. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office previously detailed the attack in a statement provided to XXL. “On the evening of Sunday, December 10, 2023, a fight occurred between Willie Brown and Shannon Jackson at the Rice Street Jail,” it read. “During the fight, Jackson was stabbed multiple times by Brown. Jackson is in stable condition. Brown and Jackson were housed in the same zone. It is unknown what led to the fight. Willie Brown was initially arrested by the East Point Police Department for several charges on July 22, 2020 and was being held without bond. Jackson has been in custody since March 17, 2022.”

Young Thug Appears In Court

Thug has maintained his innocence during the case. His lawyer, Brian Steele, says he “committed no crime whatsoever” and that YSL is simply a record label. Check out a live stream of Thug’s court appearance above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Young Thug’s trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: YSL RICO Indictment: Everything We Know

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Young Thug’s Dad Wants Lil Baby To ‘Shut The F*ck Up’ And Stop Calling Gunna A Snitch

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As the racketeering trial against Young Thug and YSL continues, one person connected to them stood up for Gunna amid the snitching accusations against him. While rappers such as Lil Baby and Lil Durk have made their feelings known about Gunna taking a plea deal in exchange for his freedom after nearly a year of incarceration.

But Young Thug’s dad Jeffery Williams Sr., who previously defended Gunna from such accusations, saying, “Gunna hasn’t done anything whatsoever that can hurt us on this case,” expressed his feelings on all the “snitch” talk.

“[Lil Baby] need to shut the f*ck up, ’cause he don’t know what’s going on,” he said in a new interview. “He going off of what he heard. Ask Lil Baby has he ever come to a court date. That’s what I want y’all to ask these goddamn rappers and these bloggers with this snitch sh*t. When have y’all went to a court date to support Slime?…Go on their social media pages and say, ‘Why in the f*ck haven’t you been to the courthouse to support your dude?’ And I guarantee you won’t get an answer.”

You can see the interview below.

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

Young Thug’s Dad Calls Out Lil Baby For Gunna Diss: “Shut The F*ck Up”

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Young Thug’s father, Jeffrey Williams Sr., says that Lil Baby needs to stop speaking on Gunna and the YSL trial because he has no idea what he’s talking about. Williams Sr. discussed the case during a new interview with Infamous Sylvia on YouTube.

“He need to shut the f**k up cause he don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “Ya know he’s going off what he heard. Ask Lil Baby have he ever came to a court date. That’s what I want y’all to ask these godd*mn rappers and these bloggers with this whole snitch sh*t.”

Read More: Young Thug’s Father “Loves” Gunna, Claims He Hasn’t Hurt Son’s RICO Case

Young Thug & Gunna Attend Lil Baby’s Ice Ball

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 03: Young Thug, Nechie and Gunna attend Lil Baby’s Ice Ball on December 3, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Baby is among a host of other rappers who have dissed Gunna on social media since he took a plea deal in the case. Most recently, Baby appeared to throw shade at his former collaborator on the song, “350,” by rapping: “I know one day it’s gon’ hit me, bro ain’t never comin’ back / Ain’t never say nothin’ ’bout it, n***a, you know you a rat.”

Young Thug’s Dad On Lil Baby

Williams Sr.’s comments come after Judge Ural Glanville postponed the trial due to the stabbing of one of Thug’s other co-defendants. “Let me go ahead and tell you where we are,” Judge Glanville announced to the jury, earlier this month. “Remember yesterday we recessed because one of our participants had a medical issues and I was telling you about that? Well, unfortunately, that medical condition still exists. Given the length of time that we will probably address that, it might be just more prudent to recess you. An early recess. Instead of recessing you this Friday as the Court’s plan was originally, I’m gonna recess you for the holidays, today.” The trial will resume on January 2, 2024. Be on the lookout for further updates on Young Thug’s trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Young Thug’s Dad Compares His Son To Trump While Demanding Rapper Gets Bail

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Meek Mill’s Comments During Drake Feud Resurface Following Young Thug Support

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Fans are using Meek Mill’s past comments during his feud with Drake to label him a hypocrite after his recent defense of Young Thug. Amid the YSL rapper’s ongoing RICO trial, Meek wrote that his lyrics shouldn’t be used as evidence in a court of law. In making that argument, he explained that artists share lyrics all the time in the studio.

“It should be impossible to charge thug and lucci for lyrics because in the studio we all give eachother lines and don’t remember who said what after a high night in the studio…. I have done it with both of them … they both gave me lyrics b4… we all do this!” Meek wrote. In response, fans complained about him accusing Drake of needing ghostwriters. “Wait.. but you threw a fit about this when drake did it?” one fan replied. Another wrote: “Lol you’ll [sic] accused Drake for using a ghostwriter.”

Read More: Meek Mill Weighs In On Young Thug’s Trial

Meek Mill Performs At The Grammys

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Meek Mill performs at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

While going back and forth with the Toronto rapper in 2015, Meek tweeted: “Stop comparing drake to me too…. He don’t write his own raps! That’s why he ain’t tweet my album because we found out! The whole game know forreal they scared to tell the truth! I can’t wait tok these guys and sit back and act like they don’t know!” The two have long since made amends.

Meek Mill Called Out For Hypocrisy

As for Young Thug, Judge Ural Glanville postponed his trial on Tuesday after one of his co-defendants was stabbed in prison over the weekend. The trial will resume on January 2, 2024, according to Meghann Cuniff. Be on the lookout for further updates on Meek Mill as well as Young Thug’s trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Young Thug Will Beat His Case, Meek Mill Believes

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