Prosecutors portrayed the YSL crew as a "pack" with Young Thug as its "wolf" in their opening statement.
ADVERTISEMENTFamed rapper Young Thug's trial has commenced, and Georgia prosecutors allege that the Grammy-winner functions as the leader of a criminal gang called YSL (Youth Slime Life).
Controversially, the rapper's lyrics have been recited as evidence in the case.
Thug, born Jeffery Lamar Williams in Atlanta is being charged with infringing Georgia's anti-racketeering and gang laws, among other offences.
He faced indictment last year alongside over two dozen other individuals, including fellow-rapper and collaborator Gunna, with five of them set to undergo trial alongside him.
The trial is projected to last months and will likely include testimony from a number of high-profile music industry figures.
Early court proceedings and opening statements
The trial's opening day on Monday (27 November) was marked by frequent objections, delays, and a mistrial request, leading Judge Ural Glanville to express that he is "not happy about this".
During the opening statement, Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love began by quoting from Rudyard Kipling's "The Law of the Jungle," using it as a metaphor to depict the YSL crew as a "pack" and its alleged leader, Young Thug, as a "wolf."
Love informed the jury that the rapper supervised numerous crimes, creating a figurative "crater" in Fulton County that "sucked in the youth, innocence and even the lives of some of its youngest members."
Despite interruptions from defence attorneys, Love asserted that Williams' lyrics "bore a very eerie significance to real life."
"We didn't chase any of the lyrics to solve any murders," she said. "Law enforcement in Fulton County chased the murders and found the lyrics.
Lyrics from Williams' track "Take It To Trial" featuring Yak Gotti and Gunna were presented by Love: "For slimes you know I kill, trial, I done beat it twice, state. I'm undefeated like feds came and snatched me, don’t know. No point in asking, I was on Bleveland. Stuck like a magnet. B***h-a*s n***a. I shoot at your mammy. Need to stand down. I up my stamina. Take it to trial, get an appeal, take it to trial. Yeah, you gon’ wack 'em".
Other lyrics cited by prosecutors include those in Williams’ 2018 song “Anybody” featuring Nicki Minaj: “I never killed anybody, but I got somethin’ to do with that body. I got the streets on my back (...) I get all type of cash, I’m a general.”
The trial is expected to last anywhere from several months to a year.
What are the charges Young Thug faces?
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Young Thug in May 2022, and more charges were added in a subsequent indictment in August of that year.
The second indictment accuses Young Thug and 27 other people of conspiring to violate Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO.
The rapper is also accused of participation in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and gun charges.
Prosecutors say Young Thug and two other people co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is associated with the national Bloods gang.
In addition to specific charges, the August indictment includes a wide-ranging list of 191 acts that prosecutors say were committed between 2013 and 2022 as part of the alleged conspiracy to further the gang’s interests.
ADVERTISEMENTIncluded in that list is an allegation that Young Thug threatened in July 2015 to shoot a security guard who was trying to get him to leave an Atlanta-area mall.
What do Young Thug's defence lawyers say?
Young Thug's lawyers have said in multiple court filings that he is innocent of all crimes charged in the indictment. They argue YSL is simply a record label.
Notable artists affiliated with YSL include Gunna and Lil Keed. Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, and Travis Scott have also proclaimed their affiliation with YSL, despite lacking contractual commitments.
The rapper has pleaded not guilty.
What penalties does Young Thug face if he's convicted?
Young Thug's racketeering conspiracy charge and two gang charges each carry a penalty of five to 20 years in prison.
ADVERTISEMENTThe other five charges also carry potential prison time.
