Young Thug and YSL’s RICO trial begins

The trial of Young Thug is due to begin in earnest today, November 27, with opening statements due in court in Atlanta. The rapper is accused of co-founding a criminal street gang and promoting it through his music. The trial is streaming live on YouTube. See below.

Thug was arrested in May 2022 as part of a RICO indictment against his label YSL. Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis alleges that the group is a gang responsible for crimes across the state. He faces eight felonies, including gun and drug charges; each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He has been denied bond on multiple occasions and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In addition to specific charges, the indictment lists 191 acts that prosecutors allege were committed between 2013 and 2022 as part of the gang conspiracy. These include hiring a vehicle used in the killing of a rival gang member and a 2015 threat to a security guard's life.

More than two dozen other people were indicted and five are set to stand trial with him. The number was reduced after some defendants either took plea deals, such as YSL signees Gunna and Unfoonk, or were separated to be tried later.

The trial is projected to last months and could include testimony from Thug's peers in the music industry. Prosecutors are expected to use his rap lyrics as evidence against him.

Jury selection began in January and took 10 months to seat, an unsually long period of time. Nine women and three men, with six alternates, was finally selected on November 1.

Earlier this year Young Thug released his third studio album Business is Business. The album features guests including Drake and Future and debuted No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

For more information on the Young Thug and YSL trial, read The FADER's timeline and explainer pieces now.