Young Thug is a certified rap legend.
He may have a different sound and dress crazy, but Thug is really from the streets.
Over the years he’s beefed with other artists, and now it’s coming back around to him.
Thug, Gunna, and 26 other YSL affiliates have been named in a 56-count indictment that could put them all away for life.
Here’s what’s happening.
On Monday, May 9th, Young Thug’s crib in Atlanta was raided by police.
Cops tore his house apart, taking walls down and digging up his yard for evidence.
Thug was booked in the Fulton County jail on conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
and participation in criminal activity.
According to the 88 page indictment,
Thug started YSL in 2012 and the gang has engaged in all kinds of criminal activity over the years
- including murder, attempted murder, drug dealing, carjacking,
and even shooting at Lil Wayne’s tour bus back in 2015.
Some of the crimes Thug wasn’t even charged for but was still accused of being involved in,
like threatening to kill a dude at a mall and possession of meth with intent to distribute.
Plus, he allegedly rented a car that was used during the murder of YFN Lucci’s homie
Donovan “Big Nut” Thomas.
In January 2015, Big Nut was standing on the street in Atlanta
when someone drove by and started letting off shots.
Nut was killed, and two innocent bystanders were also hit but survived.
No one knows for sure who was behind the hit,
but some rumors say that YSL was involved.
Now Thug has been named for renting the car that was used in the drive-by,
and five other YSL affiliates have been charged for murder -
including Yak Gotti who is signed to Thug’s label.
Even though 28 YSL members have been indicted, Thug’s lawyers still claim that it’s not a gang.
His lawyer Brian Steel told The New York Times “Mr. Williams comes from an incredible horrible upbringing,
and he has conducted himself throughout his life in a way that is just to marvel at.
He’s committed no crime whatsoever. The indictment is baseless to include him.”
Gunna was also named in the indictment and charged with a count of racketeering.
The documents show that he’s been accused of receiving stolen property and drug possession with intent to distribute.
Thug and Gunna’s individual charges ain’t that serious,
but since it’s a RICO case they could go down for any crimes committed by other YSL affiliates.
According to reporter Michael Seiden,
the prosecution plans on using Thug and Gunna’s lyrics and music videos in the case against them.
They’ve used this tactic against rappers before.
Back in October, the feds unsealed an indictment against five members of O’Block in Chicago
for the murder of FBG Duck,
and accused them of using social media and music to further their criminal activities.
The Atlanta District Attorney said in a press conference
“social media is a wonderful tool for prosecutors in every indictment we bring nowadays.
I believe in the first amendment…
however, it does not protect people from prosecutors using it as evidence if it is such.”
Some of the lyrics cited in the case include Thug’s verse on the track Slatty where he rapped
“I killed his man in front of his momma, like **** lil bruh, sister, and his cousin.”
The documents also list his lyrics from Slime S*** where he says
“This that slime ****, this that mob ****
****the judge, YSL, this that mob life.”
They also include lyrics from when Thug sent shots at YFN on the track Eww, saying
“All I ever wanted was the money, put your hands in the air if you dare
any mother***** to step over here, F&N put ‘em in a wheelchair.”
Another dude named in the YSL indictment is Big Brhis,
who is already facing attempted murder after allegedly shooting a cop in February.
He was wanted for an alleged robbery from October where he stole a Rolex, iPhone, Gucci wallet, and diamond earrings.
According to the police, Bhris bragged about the lick on social media which helped them solve the case.
When the cops tried to arrest him, Bhris pulled out a gun and shot at them -
hitting police officer David Rodger four times in his shoulder,
once in his knee, and once on the side of his head.
Bhris was arrested anyway, so he almost killed a cop for no reason -
and now he’s facing 15 more charges in the new indictment too.
The indictment says after Big Nut was killed in 2015,
Bhris said in two separate videos that some people “get killed bro, from me and YSL,”
and “I never killed anybody, but I got something to do with that body.”
After Rodger was shot, the Atlanta Police Department put out a statement
saying YSL has a reputation for “ruthless pedestrian and home invasion style robberies,”
and “drive-by shootings resulting in death and serious injury.”
Before Big Nut was killed back in 2015, YSL and YFN ain’t have no beef.
But Nut was one of Lucci’s closest homies,
and his death caused a split not just between the crews - but the entire city of Atlanta.
Rappers who used to rock with Lucci and Thug had to choose sides,
and then more violence spilled into the streets.
Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis said Big Nut’s death “created violence like Atlanta has never seen.”
Lucci claimed his home was shot up multiple times.
Not long after, he and Thug started taking shots at each other on social media.
Lucci also went after Thug’s fiance Jerrika Karlea, tweeting
“I know u miss laying on dat sofa wit me girl #Rika,”
and “I got ya *** on a leash.”
Then he posted private messages that were allegedly between him and Jerrika.
Thug responded and tweeted “S/O solo lucci young king,”
then “If any upcoming rapper wanna be put on, lets make music… On wanna beef.”
They sent shots back and forth for a minute, then the beef almost cost someone else their life.
In 2018, YSL Duke almost got killed outside of a strip club.
Surveillance footage shows Duke leaving the club when two dudes come from behind and start following him.
He turns around and sees them,
then takes off running as one of them pulls out a pistol and starts letting off shots.
Duke managed to get away without getting hit,
but he could have easily been killed.
No one knows why the shooting went down, but rumors say YFN was involved.
Then in 2019, Thug hopped on IG Live and threatened to slap Lucci and Sauce Walka.
They both clapped back on social media, then Lucci was almost killed a month later.
Police in Atlanta pulled up to the scene of the shooting and found Lucci’s car lit up with bullets.
There was a victim who got hit twice, but it wasn’t Lucci.
They sent more shots at each other online
and it seemed like only a matter of time before someone else got hurt or killed.
But before that happened, Lucci got arrested for his alleged involvement in a shooting from 2020.
According to police, Lucci and three other YFN affiliates drove around in known enemy territory
and shot at a group of their opps.
The other crew fired back and hit Lucci’s homie James Adams in the head.
Then the other dudes in the car pushed Adams out and left him to die in the street.
The police believe Lucci was the driver and not a shooter,
but he was still charged with murder, aggravated assault, participating in criminal street gang activity,
and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He was originally granted bond and released on house arrest,
but he violated it by going to a strip club and a recording studio.
So he got sent back to jail.
While still locked up for the drive-by, Lucci was named in a RICO case
centered around YFN.
According to prosecutors, Lucci and a rapper from Miami named CP3 linked up
and used their music to unite Blood sets in Atlanta and Miami.
Getting hit with a RICO charge is bad enough,
but then Lucci almost lost his life behind bars.
In February 2022, he claimed someone stabbed him from behind and there was a bounty on his head.
Then TMZ released a report of a fight between him and another inmate who both had “sharp objects.”
Allegedly Lucci yelled “I feel like killing this n***a!” during the fight,
and was later treated for a cut on his head.
It ain’t clear if it’s a targeted hit on Lucci or just a random fight,
but prosecutors in the YSL case are claiming they were behind the stabbing attempt.
According to authorities, Big Brhis and a YSL affiliate named Antonio Sumlin
asked Thug for permission to take Lucci out behind bars.
It might not have been anyone associated with YSL
who actually attacked Lucci,
but the police have evidence that they were at least planning the hit.
After Thug was arrested, rumors started going around that it had something to do with the death of LaKevia Jackson,
the mother of one of Thug’s sons.
She was shot and killed at an Atlanta bowling alley back in March
after allegedly getting into a fight with another group of people.
The Atlanta DA Fani Willis addressed the rumors and said she don’t believe there is any connection
between Thugs’ alleged gang activity and Jackson’s death.
Willis did say that she believes gang activity is causing the vast majority of violence in Atlanta.
At a news conference in April she said “I am not impressed with the fact that you are a rapper
that’s not going to keep you from being indicted by default.
If they committed acts of violence, and if we have enough evidence to substantiate that,
you’re going to see indictments.”
Violence in Atlanta has exploded this year.
As of April 23rd, there have been 60% more homicides than last year.
Criminal justice professor Dean Dabney says that DA Willis is going after the wrong targets.
He says her claims about 80% of violence coming from gangs is wrong
and that he sees “no convincing systematic evidence that substantiates that.”
Even if the DA’s not right about her gang violence claims,
that’s not stopping her from going after them with everything in her power.
RICO charges can be almost impossible to beat at the federal level,
but since this is still a Georgia state case Thug might have a chance.
His lawyer Brian Steel seems confident he can get Thug off.
He told a CNN affiliate “the response to any allegation is Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever
and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him.”
Gunna and Thug received more bad news after the initial story broke.
When the police raided Thug’s home they ended up finding enough evidence to charge him with seven more felonies,
including possession of firearm during commission of a felony, possession of sawed-off shotgun,
sawed-off rifle, machine gun, dangerous weapon or silencer, and others.
It sounds like Thug had enough high-powered weapons to start his own war,
and the District Attorney thinks he already did.
According to her, YSL could be responsible for up to 50 bodies since 2015.
Thug requested bond after his arrest but Judge Robert Wolf decided that he’s a flight risk and might commit more felonies if released.
Thug’s lawyer asked Wolf to consider releasing him with an ankle monitor,
but the judge refused and said “He has a lot of support outside the state of Georgia,
it might be hard to get him back to the state.”
Even though his charges are way less serious than Thug’s,
Gunna was also denied bond after he turned himself in early Wednesday morning.
Now both of them will be sitting in jail until their next court date.
Hopefully they don’t get hit with anymore charges in the meantime,
but stay tuned for updates as the story develops.