Rapper Young Thug is a free man. Here’s what you need to know about his request.

ATLANTA — Rapper Young Thug is a free man after pleading guilty on gang, drug and weapons charges.

About two and a half years after he was arrested on charges of Expansive gang and racketeering chargesYoung Thug was released from custody Thursday night. It was a remarkable development in a trial that had been protracted and riddled with problems.

Jury selection at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta started in January 2023 And almost 10 months have passed. Since then, prosecutors have called dozens of witnesses. opening statements last November in the case of six accused.

Here’s what you need to know about the application:

Atlanta-based artist Jeffrey Lamar Williams is known for his eccentric style, muttered raps and raspy, high-pitched vocals. He achieved fame with breakthrough hits such as “Stoner” and “Best Friend”, and co-wrote the hit “This is America” ​​with Childish Gambino, which became the first hip-hop track to be released. win song of the year Grammy in 2019.

Young Thug has collaborated with other top artists including Drake, Chris Brown, T.I. and Travis Scott. Elton John called working with Young Thug an “amazing moment” after recording the song “Always Love You” featuring Nicki Minaj and Gunna.

He broke with the hyper-masculine norms of the hip-hop scene by wearing a dress on the cover of his 2016 mixtape Jeffery and declaring that there was no such thing as gender in a Calvin Klein campaign.

Young Thug, 33, grew up in a housing project in suburban Atlanta that was marred by crime and violence.

He was initially charged and arrested on May 9, 2022, with new charges added in a subsequent indictment in August of that year. The second indictment accused Young Thug and 27 others of conspiring to violate the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The rapper was also accused of participating in criminal activities of street gangs, as well as drugs and weapons.

Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and two other men co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is affiliated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment states that Young Thug “made YSL’s name famous by referencing him in his songs and on social media.”

Prosecutors portrayed him as a gang leader known as the Slime King, a man who commands and directs others to engage in criminal activity.

Prosecutors have been negotiating with Young Thug’s lawyers to try to reach an agreement that would end his involvement in the lengthy trial. But those efforts stalled when both sides failed to agree on terms.

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steele declined to discuss the negotiations. But he said prosecutors are insisting on “outrageous” conditions: “They will release him from custody, but they will keep him in bonds so tight that it is unconscionable.”

Instead, the rapper made a potentially risky plea that was not consensual or “blind,” meaning he filed a plea without striking a deal with prosecutors.

He pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two weapons charges. He also entered a no contest plea to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning he chose not to contest those charges but could be punished as if he had pleaded guilty.

No – as long as he complies with the terms of his sentence.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Page Reese Whitaker sentenced him to 40 years in prison. The first five years were to be served in prison, but this was replaced by time served. He will then serve 15 years of probation. Finally, the “suspended” 20 years in prison will be commuted to time served if he completes all conditions of probation. If he does not complete probation successfully, he will have to serve those 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors wanted to sentence Young Thug to 45 years, with 25 years in prison and the remaining 20 years suspended. Prosecutor Adrian Love said the charges against him carry a maximum penalty of 120 years in prison.

Steele asked the judge to impose a 45-year sentence, with five years of prison time to be credited to time served, and 40 years of probation.

He apologized to his family, managers, courtroom officials and “virtually everyone who had anything to do with this situation” for the time spent on his case.

“I hope you’ll let me go home today and just trust that I’m doing the right thing,” he told the judge, promising her he’d never be in a similar situation again.

“You know, I learned from my mistakes. I came from nothing, I created something, but I didn’t take full advantage of it. I’m very sorry,” he said.