ATLANTA (CelebrityAccess) — After spending almost two years in jail, the trial for rapper and label exec Young Thug has officially kicked off in Georgia.
Young Thug, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, is accused of being a central figure in a criminal network that has engaged in alleged crimes that include murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, witness intimidation and drug dealing.
Prosecutors allege that Young Thug’s YSL, or Young Slime Life, is an Atlanta affiliate of the Bloods crime syndicate and is a central part of the alleged criminal enterprise that led to criminal charges for Williams and 27 others.
Williams’ has pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against him and his attorneys argue that YSL is simply a successful record label, Young Stoner Life, and that the gangster trappings on display in the label’s music and videos are merely a successful marketing strategy and not indicative of actual criminality.
Williams, who is 32, is one of Atlanta’s leading rap icons who first made a name for himself in 2013 when he signed to fellow Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records.
Since then, he’s found chart success with collaborations such as “Go Crazy” with Chris Brown, “Franchise” with Travis Scott and “Havana” with Camila Cabello. He won the Grammy for song of the year in 2019 for “This Is America” a collaboration with Childish Gambino.
If found guilty, Williams faces the potential of decades behind bars.
