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Young Thug teases new project in mysterious Instagram post despite remaining in custody

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  June 19, 2023 6:38am EDT
Young Thug
FOX 5 Atlanta

Twists and turns in YSL RICO trial

More twists and turns in the Young Slime Life gang and racketeering trial as jury selection stretches into its fifth month. This week an attorney had his laptop seized while in court and now a Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy has been arrested and booked into jail in connection to the case.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Some fans of Atlanta rapper Young Thug are convinced that he's about to drop a new project despite being behind bars at the Cobb County Jail.

The "Stoner" rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, has been in custody for more than a year now as part of a sweeping RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) investigation into the organization YSL, which stands for Young Slime Life.

The last six months have gone by without a single person seated for the jury.

It's been two years since the rapper released his last album, 2021's "Punk," but that may be changing.

On Friday, June 16, Young Thug posted a QR code on his Instagram page with the caption "Business Is Business."

The code sent fans to another website with a countdown clock timed to hit zero on Wednesday.

While the rapper hasn't said what the clock is supposed to be, other artists including Drake, T.I, Metro Boomin, 21 Savage, and Chance the Rapper have reshaped the mysterious code, fueling speculation that there could be new music on the way.

One artist that also shared the post was Gunna, who was arrested as part of the same indictment but was released after opting for an Alford plea, or "best-interest plea," back on Dec. 7. It allowed Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Giovanni Kitchens, to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that it was in his best interest to plead guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge.

In his first music video since taking the plea deal, the rapper said he "never gave no statement or agreed to take no stand on ‘em."

Rapper Young Thug sits in a Fulton County courtroom during a motions hearing on Dec. 15, 2022. (FOX 5)

What is YSL?

Fulton County prosecutors say Young "Slime" Life is a violent criminal street gang that’s commonly known as YSL and is affiliated with the national Bloods gang. They said it was founded in 2012. 
Defendants in the case claim that YSL is not a criminal entity, and not to be confused with Young "Stoner" Life Records, the music label rapper Young Thug founded.

In a statement, rapper Gunna, who made a plea deal to avoid jail time, said he didn’t consider it a gang but rather "a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations." His focus was entertainment, he said, "rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community."

Who is expected to testify at rapper Young Thug's RICO trial?

Fulton County prosecutors say Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is one of the founder of Young Slime Life, a violent Atlanta street gang. The rapper says he's an artist who's been falsely accused. A look at the high-profile witness list

What is the RICO Act?

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, was developed to fight organized crime.

The U.S. Department of Justice has used RICO to take down multiple crime families and street gangs.

Violating RICO carries a maximum of 20 years and a fine that is "greater than $25,000 or three times the amount of pecuniary gain."

Under RICO, victims impacted can seek civil recourse without the defendant being able to hide behind bankruptcy to skirt judgment or restitution.

Why are some members of YSL on trial?

Prosecutors claim Young Slime Life is a violent street gang behind a series of heinous crimes including murders, shootings, and carjackings. They say the crimes were committed to raise money for the gang, enhance its reputation, and extend its influence and territory. 

Initially, 28 people were charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, with numerous other charges also filed against many of the accused.

Potential Young Thug, YSL trial juror jailed for filming proceedings

A potential juror in the YSL trial landed herself behind bars. The judge who's having a tough enough time trying to seat the jury for both sides had one of the potentials jurors jailed when she was caught recording the proceedings.

What are the latest updates in the YSL RICO Trial?

It's been a wild few months for everyone involved in the case.

As the trial slowly drags on despite plenty of weird twists and turns, jury selection for the YSL trial is expected to continue this week.