Young Thug And Gunna's Legal Issues Explained
Rappers Young Thug and Gunna are at the center of a criminal investigation and the details of their alleged involvement are shocking. Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, rose to fame as a prominent Atlanta rapper, releasing hits like "Best Friend," and "Pick Up the Phone." In 2016, the rapper announced that he would be starting his own record label, Young Stoner Life Records, under 300 Entertainment, per Complex.
Billboard reports that Thug added Gunna to the YSL roster the same year of the label's creation and the two have been close musical partners ever since. Gunna recently explained that his decision to sign with YSL simply made sense. "He was already on TV," Gunna told the outlet about Thug in March. "So we already looked at him like he was a star that made it."
In the years since its inception, YSL has achieved mass commercial success. Thug earned his first No. 1 album with 2019's "So Much Fun," while Gunna's project, "DS4Ever," also reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart. However, both artists have since been named in a criminal indictment, which also involves their label.
Young Thug and Gunna were charged with racketeering
Fulton County, Georgia prosecutors have charged Young Thug, Gunna, and other members of the rap label YSL Records with operating a violent street gang. According to an 88-page indictment obtained by TMZ, Thug and Gunna are accused of possession with intent to distribute various illicit substances. The outlet also reports that Thug's Georgia home was the target of a massive police raid and that the rapper was arrested on charges of conspiracy to violate the racketeer influence and corrupt organizations act (RICO).
Shortly after Thug's arrest, Gunna, whose birth name is Sergio Kitchens, turned himself into the Fulton County Sheriff's office on RICO charges related to the indictment naming Thug, per TMZ. Following his detainment, Gunna's attorneys released a statement denying the allegations and criticized the use of his lyrics as evidence for a crime. "Mr. Sergio Kitchens, known as Gunna, is innocent. The indictment falsely portrays his music as part of a criminal conspiracy," his attorneys said, per Entertainment Tonight.
While Gunna's legal team requested the rapper be released on bond, journalist Jewel Wicker reported that the judge denied that request on May 23. According to Wicker, the rappers' trial is set to begin on January 9, 2023.