Jeffery Lamar Williams, otherwise known as Young Thug, has been involved in the longest-running case in Atlanta’s history regarding his YSL label, which was suspected of being a criminal organization.
Young Thug was arrested in May 2022 along with 27 of his associates including another popular rapper Gunna, who is rumored to have taken a deal to snitch on other YSL members for his freedom, but it has not been confirmed. Young Thug’s music label YSL has been charged with a 56-count RICO case, which is a law made to dismantle criminal organizations such as mafias. Many problems plagued this trial before it even started, like one of the defendants getting stabbed in jail which delayed the trial greatly because he was left in critical condition. The jury selection process alone took the court ten months to assemble, consisting of twelve jurors and six backups.
The judge who looked over the trial for the majority of the case, Ural Glanville, was ordered to relinquish his role as judge of the YSL trial after a series of events that have hurt the public’s perception of Altanta’s judicial system in tremendous ways. Glanville had a secret meeting with the prosecutors without the defense present or telling them at all and when Young’s lawyer, Brian Steele, found out and brought it up in court, Glanville demanded to know how Steele came to know about the secret meetings. When Steele refused to give up the information on who gave him the information. The Judge sentenced him to a maximum of 20 days in prison, which is a humongous abuse of power, and the judge was forced to step away from the trial after this incident bringing Paige Reese Whitaker..
Another problem that plagued the case was how some of the witnesses were uncooperative, such as Mr. Copeland, otherwise known as Lil Woody, who was supposedly coerced into testifying against YSL in a leaked video. When it came time for Lil Woody to testify, it was clear he was stalling the court, claiming that he had bad vision when he was asked to identify a suspect. When he was presented with other questions, he would give similar answers that would slow down the court.
The music label YSL stands for Young Stoner Life, but it has been alleged that they are known as Young Slime Life in the streets of Atlanta. Brian Steelle’s main defense for YSL is that it is just a successful music label mentioning that the “Thug” in Young Thug’s stage name stands for Truly Humble Under God. Explaining how the members of YSL portray their hard upbringing in Atlanta because it is what sells and it is something real they had to go through growing up. Brain Steele also claims that Young Thug is a character he plays and that Jeffery Lamar Willaims is a kind and innocent person behind closed doors.
This case brought to light a debate regarding the judicial system using an artist’s lyrics against them in court. Songs by Young Thug and other YSL affiliates, such as the song “Lifestyle” and the posthumous Juice Wrld song “Bad Boy” were both submitted as evidence which is a controversial move because many artists in the past have landed in jail for something they claim is artistic expression. This has become such a prevalent issue that Jay Z publicly supported a senate bill that would prevent lyrics from being used against an artist on trial. In the YSL trial, a lot of the lyrics that were included as evidence never mention anyone specifically and can be used broadly. Also, any lyrics that include the word “slime” have been cited to prove that YSL stands for Young Slime Life instead of Young Stoner Life like Young Thug claims it to be.
After all this, Young Thug took a plea deal where he has to serve ten years probation and for that ten years, he is not allowed in Atlanta unless it is for wedding and family emergencies. He also can not associate himself with any gang member except his long-time collaborator Gunna and is no longer allowed to promote gang culture. If he violates this, he will have to serve twenty years in jail. Young Thug taking this plea deal closes out Atlanta’s longest and arguably messiest trial to date.
