By Abigail Holliday
Staff Writer
Jeffery Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, was released from county jail after pleading guilty to six gun and drug related charges.
The Atlanta rapper and songwriter, known for his influence in the hip-hop and trap music genres, began his career in 2011 when he started releasing a set of mix tapes. He was later picked up and signed with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records in 2013, according to IMDb.
Later, in 2016, the rapper started YSL Records, or Young Stoner Life Records, a record label who worked with artists like Drake, Future and Travis Scott.
This case began on May 9, 2022, when Young Thug was first arrested along with 28 other men in YSL, totaling 56 indictments, according to the New York Times. Authorities believe YSL is also an alleged street gang called Young Slime Life, with Young Thug as the leader, nicknamed “King Slime,” and associated with the Bloods gang.
Young Thug was accused of multiple crimes, including theft, murder, robbery and assault. After some of the indicted men had their homes raided in May 2022, 13 additional felony charges were added, including the possession of drugs with intent to sell and illegal firearm possession, according to Billboard.
Right before the trial, on Nov. 9, 2023, a judge ruled that the YSL members’ song lyrics were not protected by the First Amendment and thus were allowed to be used against them. 17 song lyrics were used in court, by both sides of the case.
It wasn’t until over a year later, in Nov. 2023, that after being denied bail four times and a mistrial twice, that Young Thug’s and the YSL's trial began.
The case involved several notable events, including the arrest of Nicole Fagen, a lawyer for another YSL member, in relation to a 2022 gang shooting. Additionally, a witness for the prosecution of Young Thug’s case admitted to being under the influence of drugs in court, and a 911 phone call was played in court by the prosecution where a woman identified the gunman of a 2013 shooting to be Young Thug.
In July 2024, Young Thug’s case was put on hold due to his lawyer and legal team requesting Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Glanville to be removed from the case. According to Billboard, Glanville was accused of pressuring a witness after a secret meeting. This was approved and Judge Paige Reese Whitaker became the new judge on the case.
The case finally ended on Oct. 31, after the rapper pleaded guilty and no contest to the charges against him. Young Thug pleaded guilty to one gang charge, two gun charges and three drug charges. He also pleaded no contest to violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and to being the leader of a gang, according to BBC News.
In a statement during court, Young Thug said, “I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges. To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry.”
After possibly facing 120 years in prison, Young Thug was only sentenced to 15 years of probation, because of the time he had already served. The probation will include random drug tests, performing an anti-gang presentation four times a year to children and not being allowed in Atlanta for the first 10 years, according to the New York Times.
Young Thug's lawyer claimed that, even though Young Thug pled guilty, they “disagreed” with the accusations made against his client and that the over two-year trial was “holding this man hostage.”
