Young Thug RICO Trial Begins In Atlanta
Young Thug’s (Jeffery Williams) trial officially began Monday (Nov. 27). The rapper, who has been behind bars since his May 2022 arrest, has been charged with conspiring to violate the…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 01: Young Thug attends 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)Young Thug's (Jeffery Williams) trial officially began Monday (Nov. 27). The rapper, who has been behind bars since his May 2022 arrest, has been charged with conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and street gang activity under his rap collective YSL (Young Slime Life).
Prior to the beginning of the trial, he was charged alongside 27 other rappers, including Gunna, who was eventually released last December after pleading guilty under the Alford plea. For the impending trial, Thugger and five other defendants, Marquavius Huey, Deamonte Kendrick (known as Yak Gotti), Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan, and Shannon Stillwell have all pleaded not guilty. They have been accused of YSL being a street gang that has been involved in robberies, murder, murder, assault, theft, illegal gun possession, and illegal drug possession and sales in Atlanta since 2012, according to Pitchfork.
Opening statements from Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love said that Young Thug is the leader of YSL and was dubbed "King Slime," by his associates.
"They created a crater in the middle of Fulton County’s Cleveland Avenue community that sucked in the youth, the innocence, and even the lives of some of its youngest members," Love said per CNN.
The judge has also allowed the controversial decision to use Young Thug's rap lyrics as evidence. "We didn’t chase any lyrics to solve any murders," Love said of the current debate on whether to use rap lyrics in trials, per Billboard.
The first day of the trial also had some delays with jurors and a "heated exchange" between the prosecutors and Thugger's defense attorney, Brian Steel. Steel asked for a mistrial, which was dismissed by the judge. Thugger's attorney told CNN that his client has “committed no crime whatsoever.”
A trial as complex as this could take as long as a year. If a jury finds Young Thug guilty, he could face years in prison.
Young Thug, born Jefferey Lamar Williams, has made a name for himself with his distinct voice and contributions to trap music. Thug began to get mainstream success with his single 2014 singles "Stoner" and "Danny Glover." He later amassed more critical acclaim with the release of his 2015 mixtape Barter 6 and two installments of his Slime Season series. In 2019, he won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for his contributions to Childish Gambino's "This Is America." Young Thug released its debut studio album, So Much Fun in 2019. The album debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and included the Billboard Hot 100 top-twenty singles "The London" and "Hot." Under the rapper's label YSL (Young Stoner Life) collective, he has also elevated the next generation of hip-hop in acts in rappers such as Gunna, Lil Duke, the late Lil Keed, and previously signed artist Lil Baby.
Take a look at 11 of Young Thug's best songs:
11. "Halftime" Young Thug 'Barter 6' (2015)
300 Entertainment/ Atlantic"Halftime" shows Young Thug's unique style, especially the eleven-second long "skrrt" ad-lib. The track is produced by Thug’s DJ Kip Hilson and is found on his 2015 project 'Barter 6.'
10. "Relationship" Young Thug ft. Future 'Beautiful Thugger Girls' (2017)
Atlantic RecordsYoung Thug tapped in fellow ATL rapper Future for "Relationship" off of his 2017 album 'Beautiful Thugger Girls.' In the song, the two ATL natives rap about how they treat women when they are in a relationship. The music video for the track was inspired by the adult entertainment franchise 'Girls Gone Wild.'
9. "Solid" Young Thug and Gunna ft. Drake 'Slime Language 2' (2021)
300 EntertainmentYoung Thug and Gunna recorded "Solid" for the second compilation album 'Slime Language 2' under their label YSL Records. The track supports a feature from frequent collaborator Drake. The rapper's originally recorded "Solid" for Drake's 'Certified Lover Boy' but since Drizzy had to delay his album due to a knee injury, they decided to put it on 'Slime Language 2' instead.
8. "Ski" Young Thug and Gunna 'Slime Language 2' (2021)
300 EntertainmentYoung Thug and Gunna recorded this track for the Young Stoner Life collective 'Slime Language 2.' The compilation project 23 tracks with multiple tracks by Thug, Gunna, and other YSL signees. The song became very popular on TikTok when the two rapper's created the "Ski" dance challenge.
7. "Go Crazy" Chris Brown and Young Thug 'Slime & B' (2021)
300 Entertainment / RCAYoung Thug and Chris Brown recorded "Go Crazy" for their joint album 'Slime & B' which dropped in 2021. The track samples The Showboys' 1986 single, “Drag Rap (Triggerman)."The official remix features Future, Lil Durk, and Latto. The song stayed on top of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for 28 weeks, a record. The record was previously held by Chris and Drake's "No Guidance" collaboration which stayed at the top for 27 weeks.
5. "Check" Young Thug 'Barter 6' (2015)
300 Entertainment/ Atlantic"Check" was the lead single to Young Thug's breakout commercial mixtape 'Barter 6.' London on da Track produced the record. Thug spoke to Clique on how the song came together: "‘Cause at any given time I could learn something and I really want to express it right when I learn it, like, 'Oh wow, pull the beat up.’ I got a check, like, I just got a check: 650,000. I’m in the studio, she bring me the check. I’m like, ‘What the f---.’ I’m like, ‘Got a check I got a check,’ and just made a song."
4. "Hot" Young Thug ft. Gunna 'So Much Fun' (2016)
300 Entertainment / AtlanticOn "Hot" Young Thug and Gunna trade verses back and forth. However, the making of this song had a lot of leg work for Thug's labelmate since he fell asleep during the session. “Gunna actually recorded it by himself. I fell asleep,” Young Thug said per Genius. "He played it when I woke up. I knew it was that type of song. He don’t usually even remind me of songs because we got so much music… So that’s when I knew like it must be that type of song cause he aint never gon' be like, ‘Listen to what I did last night.’ That was one of the first times he did that." "Hot" debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at No. 11 on the chart. The song was later supported by a Travis Scott-assisted remix. Two months after the remix release, the three friends made a music video.
3. "The London" Young Thug ft. J. Cole and Travis Scott 'So Much Fun' (2016)
300 Entertainment / Atlantic"The London" dropped in 2016 on Thug's album 'So Much Fun.' The track features J. Cole and Travis Scott in addition to Thug's contribution. The song is named after a luxury hotel located in Midtown Manhattan. This was the first time Cole worked with Thug and Scott. Thug and Scott previously worked together on "Hot," "Pick Up The Phone," "Out West," and several more. The record received a nomination for "Best Rap Sung/Performance" at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
2. "Pick Up The Phone" Travis Scott ft. Young Thug and Quavo 'Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight' (2016)
Epic RecordsYoung Thug is the featured artist, along with Quavo, on Travis Scott's "Pick Up The Phone." The track was released in 2016 on Scott's album 'Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.' "Pick Up The Phone" marked Thug and Scott's fifth collaboration together following 'Days Before Rodeo's' "Skyfall," "Mamacita," 'Rodeo's' "Maria I'm Drunk" and the non-album cut "Nothing But Net."
1. "Best Friend" Young Thug 'Slime Season' (2015)
300 Entertainment / ATLAlthough there was legal drama after the release of "Best Friend," this track is arguably Young Thug's best song to date. According to Complex, Louisiana rapper and Vine star Tokyo Vanity threatened to sue the Atlanta rapper for copyright infringement after she felt as though he ripped off the hook of her cut "That's My Best Friend." The director of the music video, Be El Be, was interviewed by The Fader at the time and spoke on how the track oozes self-confidence. "If [Young Thug is] his own butler, if he’s catching himself with himself, making love to himself, if he’s in the bathroom getting changed and it’s just him and him—it’s showing his best friend is himself," he said. "That self-esteem! He’s a very stylish young man, so I would say that the inside meaning of that is that he is his own best friend."
