What happens next after the YSL trial?

Photo: Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Last night, for the first time in over 900 days, Young Thug did not sleep in his concrete cell. Atlanta rapper born Jeffrey Williams was released from prison October 31, after pleading guilty to a number of charges V lengthy RICO trial against his label YSL. (He has pleaded “nolo contendere” or “no contest” to the underlying RICO charge and gang leadership charge, and his lawyers continue to dispute the contention that YSL is a criminal street gang.) Thug was sentenced to five years in prison, commuted for time served, allowing him to be released following his uncontested plea. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he left the Fulton County Jail the night after his confession and sentencing. In court, his lawyer Brian Steele said Thug is looking forward to spending time with his family and taking care of his health.

Tag was also sentenced to 15 years of probation for varying terms. He has a “suspended” 20-year prison sentence on probation, which will be reduced if he complies with the terms of his probation. During sentencing, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker reminded Thug that the suspended sentence “can and will be served in custody unless you complete probation.” The bandit will also have to pay a fine of $40,000.

The terms of Thug’s probation open the door for him to pursue a music career under certain conditions. Speaking to the media outside court, his lawyers declined to discuss specific aspects of his probation. “In any case, there comes a point when a person is sentenced and we walk out of the courtroom, and now what happens to that person is entirely up to them,” said Keith Adams, who also represented Thug. “He has the ability and drive to move on and do whatever he needs to do to put this behind him, and we are confident he will do that.” Here’s what we know about what’s next for Young Thug following his confession, based on his probation and what he told the court.

As part of his probation, Young Thug must leave the metro Atlanta area where the crimes alleged in the indictment took place within 48 hours of yesterday’s sentencing and stay away for the next ten years. He will be allowed to return for family weddings, funerals and graduations. (Whitaker added family medical emergencies to the list at Steele’s request.) The judge also requires him to return to give four anti-gang and violence presentations a year to Atlanta children. Presentations may be held at schools or other organizations and may include a benefit concert; they will count toward the requirements of his community service probation.

Thug initially proposed spending the first three years of probation under house arrest, which Whitaker did not require. She said the state “doesn’t seem particularly concerned that Mr. Williams, if he ends up on the streets, would be a danger to the community,” given that they had previously offered a reduced sentence to time served. During his presentation, Steele noted that Thug also has residencies and recording studios in California, so he will presumably live there while he’s away from Atlanta. The bandit will be able to travel and will be allowed to keep his passport.

The sticking point in the plea negotiations that led to Thug’s inconsistent plea was what the state wanted Thug to say about YSL, Steele said. Steele said in court that Thug told him, “I’m not meeting these conditions and I’m admitting that I’m the leader and involved in the murders, and my music just pushed everyone into it.” Thus, Thug pleaded no contest to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and a charge of criminal street gang activity, over the State’s objections. These pleas, also known as no contest, act as an admission of guilt without an admission of guilt. This means Thug did not admit to being a gang leader, as Steele continued to note in his presentation. “He doesn’t need $15 drug deals on Cleveland Avenue,” Steele said. “He doesn’t need executions.” (Thug did plead guilty to one count of criminal street gang activity. Whitaker said she “would not have allowed” his guilty plea to the leadership charge “unless you pleaded guilty to at least one of them “.) There is nothing in the guilty plea.) or probation now requires Thug to testify about YSL.

While on probation, Thug cannot have contact with known gang members, including those named in the YSL indictment. Whitaker made an exception for two YSL defendants: Unfunk, Thug’s brother, and Gunna, with whom Thug is contractually obligated to work through Young Stoner Life Records. Unfunk, born Quantavius ​​Grier, is currently serving a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm while on probation after previously pleading guilty in the YSL case. But Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, is currently on probation. following December 2022 announcement. (He issued an Alford plea in which he pleaded guilty to his interest while maintaining his innocence.) Gunna has since returned to releasing music, releasing an album. Gift and Curse on YSL Records in 2023. Steele called Gunna a “phenomenal artist” in court, noting that Thug and Gunna “frequently perform music together.” Thug will be able to continue working with Gunna “as long as they are contractually bound” under the terms of his probation.

Each year of probation, Thug will be required to perform 100 hours of community service, including required presentations. But in his proposed sentence, Steele noted that Thug wanted to contribute to the Atlanta community in other ways. “He’ll do it anyway, Your Honor, but we made it part of the sentence,” Steele said. That includes an annual benefit concert whose proceeds are donated to the nonprofit, as well as a pledge of $100,000 over three years to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to fund a gun buyback program. “You know, I don’t mind doing things like free shows, and I always have,” Thug later told the court, noting that he raised money for single parents and breast cancer patients through benefit shows. “I have truly invested millions of dollars in my community,” he added. Whitaker did not include these proposed conditions in Thug’s sentence and probation, but still urged him to comply with them.

As is typical on probation, Tag will not be allowed to use drugs or be near firearms. He will have to sign a Fourth Amendment waiver and undergo random background checks. However, Whitaker made an exception in order for Thug to be around members of his security team who legally carry guns.

Thug has already released the album “From Behind Bars” – 2023. Business is business – and signs point to him continuing his music career outside of prison. However, it will be under new control. Thug’s probation bars him from promoting gang activity, making gang signs or using gang-related language. It is unclear whether YSL is considered a gang under these terms, given that this is the issue at the heart of the ongoing litigation. For example, the state claims that the word bar, Thug used gang language in his music, which means “Slime Love All the Time”. Could Thug get in trouble if he says bar about the future song? What if he read an old song with the word bar? And although it would be a radical solution, there is even a precedent for rappers who have their lyrics approved while on probation.

Steele constantly opposed considering rap in actionclaiming that they are fictitious and do not actually condone violence. However, Thug himself told Judge Whitaker that he hopes to stop rapping about violence in the future. “I understand, you know, rap lyrics, I understand how they can be twisted, I understand what it can do to people’s minds,” he said in court. “I understand all of this and I promise you that I will change this 100 percent.” He said the trial helped him realize his influence as a rapper. “I came to my senses; I understand what I mean to this world,” he said. Thug added that now he also has something to rap about. “I’m older, I’m an adult now,” he said.

Before handing down his sentence, Whitaker advised Thug to continue to embrace his role as a rapper. “Whether it’s fake or not, it has a huge impact on children and young people who think: This is great. This is what I want to do. Look at him, he’s a millionaire. I can do this by being a street gangster.“, she said. “And that’s not true.” Whitaker acknowledged that Thug was “talented” while encouraging him to be “more of a solution and less of a problem.” “If you decide to continue rapping, you need to try to use your influence to let kids know that this is not the best path,” she said.