Young Thug's racketeering trial began in Georgia on Nov. 27, 18 months after he was arrested and held without bail. Prosecutors have accused him of spearheading a gang that committed a series of violent crimes in Atlanta between 2015 and 2022.
Prosecutors plan to use Young Thug's lyrics as evidence at the racketeering trial which began on Monday
The Grammy-winning rapper born Jeffery Lamar Williams has maintained his innocence. If convicted, he could face years or decades in jail.
Prosecutors claim Young Thug ran a criminal organization with ties to the Bloods called Young Slime Life. "YSL is a pact," Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love said on Monday. "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."
Young Thug is accused of overseeing crimes ranging from witness intimidation and drug dealing to armed robbery and murder, the New York Times reported.
The rapper also allegedly raised the gang's profile by mentioning it in his lyrics, which will be used as evidence at the trial. That decision was criticized by some experts due to the exaggerated nature of many rap lyrics. Long a controversial legal maneuver, the use of song lyrics in court has many concerned about a chilling effect on lyrical creativity, particularly for Black songwriters. (New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman has proposed a law, dubbed the Restoring Artistic Protection Act, which would put limits on the practice.)
Young Thug and 27 of his alleged YSL counterparts were named in the original 56-county indictment, but he's now facing trial with just five other defendants. This came after several other alleged gang members accepted guilty pleas last December, including the rapper Gunna.
The group was indicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office used the same federal law to induct former President Donald Trump for his alleged election interference in 2020.
Young Thug's musical career has not been halted by the legal proceedings. His latest album Business Is Business was released in June. Since then, he's also had features on singles alongside Juice WRLD, Nicki Minaj and Mariah the Scientist.
