Rapper Young Thug was released from jail Thursday after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including gang activity, drug possession, and firearms charges. The Grammy Award-winning artist had spent two and a half years behind bars.
Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was one of 28 alleged members of Young Slime Life (YSL) charged under state racketeering laws.
Prosecutors claimed YSL was a faction of the Bloods street gang, with Williams as its leader. The charges included murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing, and theft.
Conditions of Young Thug’s release
According to CNN, as part of his plea agreement, the 33-year-old rapper must avoid the metro Atlanta area for the first decade of his probation. The judge granted exceptions for family events such as weddings, funerals, graduations, or serious illnesses.
The court imposed a 40-year sentence, with the first five years to be served in prison but commuted to time served. Williams will serve 15 years on probation, with another 20 years potentially commuted upon completion. However, violating his probation terms could result in serving the full 20-year term.
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Controversial use of Young Thug’s lyrics
During opening arguments, prosecutors alleged that the YSL record label was a front for criminal activities. Prosecutor Adriane Love cited lyrics from Young Thug’s song Take It To Trial, claiming they closely matched “very true, and very real, and quite specific events.”
The defense team strongly contested this approach. Lead attorney Brian Steele called using rap lyrics against his client “offensive,” arguing that “rap is the only fictional art form treated this way.”
Complex Legal Proceedings
Young Thug entered guilty pleas to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges. He pleaded no contest to charges of leading a criminal street gang and racketeering.
The trial faced numerous delays, with jury selection alone taking nearly 10 months after beginning in January 2023.
A significant development occurred in July when the original judge was removed following recusal requests from two defendants. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker of Fulton County Superior Court subsequently took over the case.
Fulton County jail records confirmed Young Thug’s release on Thursday. The charges were marked as either “time served” or “probation.”
