Young Thugs prosecutors are using his lyrics against him. Wheres the free speech brigade? – The FADER

Just over two weeks ago, free speech seemed to be Americas most pressing issue. At the end of April, Elon Musk's $44 billion bid to buy Twitter was accepted, and all sides of the political spectrum were consumed by what this meant for the discourse. Musk is sympathetic to right-wing criticisms of Twitter as biased against conservatives (claims that are factually untrue) and has vowed to make Twitter a platform for free speech around the world (of course, Musk recently stated that, under his leadership, tweets deemed wrong and bad could be either deleted or made invisible, so who knows). This issue has more or less faded from the news cycle, but a vision of lives destroyed for the wrong expression isnt some dystopic future. As the recent arrests of Gunna and Young Thug prove, its happening right now.

The 56-count indictment was handed down on May 9. It names 28 associates of Young Thugs label YSL (Young Slime Life) including Thug and Gunna according to prosecutors, YSL is a criminal gang founded in 2012 and connected to national Bloods crews. Each person in the indictment is charged with conspiracy to violate the states Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. To prosecute someone under the Act, the state of Georgia must prove that a defendant has committed at least two offenses under the broad umbrella of racketeering and that they were perpetrated by at least two members of a criminal enterprise. If found guilty, a defendant can face up to 20 years in prison, a fine, or both.

Young Thug is accused of over 30 RICO violations. Some are serious, like the charge that he rented a car used in the murder of a rival gang member. But on the whole, the indictment against Thug is built on the allegation that he used lyrics in his songs and his social media presence as recruitment tools for YSL and to direct violence. Vague Instagram threats, pictures and videos of Thug displaying alleged gang signs, and lyrics from songs like Eww, Take It To Trial, and Slime Shit are treated as transmissions from a criminal enterprise. (Young Thugs attorney Brian Steele has vehemently denied any wrongdoing by his client).

Other YSL rappers facing RICO charges are Unfoonk, Yak Gotti, and Gunna. Prosecutors have accused Gunna of nine RICO violations between 2017 and 2022 ranging from possession of drugs with intent to distribute, to an appearance in Lil Gotits video for Fox 5, where, according to the indictment, Gunna was wearing a YSL pendant and a Slatt pendant, with lyrics stating We got ten-hundred round choppers. The indictment calls this behaviour, and all its other assertions, an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

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Young Thugs prosecutors are using his lyrics against him. Wheres the free speech brigade? - The FADER