Young Thug trial sparks online questions about YSL rapper’s shirt: Updates
Young Thug is charged in a sprawling RICO trial which accuses YSL of being a criminal gang
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The hotly-anticipated trial of the rapper Young Thug is back under way in a courtroom in Atlanta, Georgia, after being derailed when a codefendant was stabbed in jail.
In May 2022, Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, was arrested and charged in a sprawling RICO indictment along with 27 other defendants.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – who is using the same law to prosecute Donald Trump in his Georgia election interference case – accused the suspects of being part of a criminal street gang named YSL or “Young Slime Life.”
According to prosecutors, the gang is responsible for multiple violent crimes, including murders, shootings, carjackings and racketeering. Young Thug denies the accusations and insists YSL is simply his record label – Young Stoner Life.
The trial has been undoubtedly rocky. Shannon Stillwell, a YSL co-defendant, was stabbed “multiple times” in jail by a fellow inmate in December. The incident led to the trial’s postponement until 2 January.
When the trial resumed on Tuesday, Young Thug instantly sparked speculation online around what he was wearing under his shirt.
Has the case been controversial?
The use of lyrics from rappers associated with YSL and Young Thug in the case has been an ongoing point of contention.
Earlier this month, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville ruled that he would allow prosecutors to introduce 17 sets of lyrics, as long as they can show that the lyrics are related to crimes that the rapper and other defendants are accused of committing.
Defence attorneys had asked the judge to exclude them, arguing the lyrics are constitutionally protected speech and would be unfairly prejudicial.
“The question is not rap lyrics. The question is gang lyrics,” prosecutor Mike Carlson said, during a pre-trial hearing. “These are party admissions. They happen to come in the form of lyrics.”
Mr Carlson had argued that First Amendment speech protections do not apply because the defendants are not being prosecuted for their lyrics. Instead, he said, the lyrics refer to the criminal act or the criminal intent related to the charges.
Another prosecutor, Simone Hylton, also separated the lyrics into three categories: those that prove the existence of YSL as an enterprise, those that show the gang’s behaviour and actions, and those that show that Young Thug is a leader of the gang.
What has happened in the YSL trial so far?
Jurors heard testimony from a host of law enforcement witnesses and several victims regarding their accounts of the “overt acts” listed in the indictment. Many of the overt acts mentioned thus far pertained to defendants who are no longer a part of the trial.
Although the indictment lists 28 co-defendants, many have been severed from the case or have taken plea deals, leaving six defendants remaining on trial.
The third week of the trial was perhaps the most dramatic of all. When court began on 11 December, the judge told jurors that there had been a “medical issue come up with one of our participants,” and therefore the court had to recess for the day.
It was later revealed that Shannon Stillwell, one of the six co-defendants on trial, was stabbed in jail the night before. Mr Stillwell is in stable condition and his fellow Rice Street Jail inmate who stabbed him has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of prohibited items in connection to the stabbing.
How has the music industry reacted to the trial?
Several big names in the music industry have expressed support for YSL and hit out at prosecutors’ efforts to use their own lyrics against them.
Canadian superstar Drake referenced the case in the track Sticky on his new album Honestly, Nevermind.
“Somebody’s getting paid and/Free Big Slime out the cage,” Drake says in the song.
Killer Mike of rap group Run The Jewels previously told ABC News: “Hip hop is not respected as an art because Black people in this country are not recognised as full human beings.
“If we allow the courts to prosecute these men based on characters they created and stories of pretend that they tell in rhyme then next, they’ll be at your door.”
YSL, as defined by Young Thug’s lawyer
Last month, Brian Steel, Mr Williams’ attorney, also discussed his client’s love of fashion. He said his style was inspired in part by rapper Lil Wayne’s style. Mr Steel also claimed that “YSL” stemmed from the logo for designer brand Yves Saint Laurent.
Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. The trial is continuing into its second week as the prosecution calls up witnesses.
What has happened in the trial so far?
The trial has been turbulent.
Shannon Stillwell, one of the six codefendants on trial, was stabbed in jail in mid-December, prompting a delay in the case.
This delay is only one of a series of postponements that have plagued the trial. Jury selection took nearly a year. And now that the trial is in full swing, the rockiness has not eased.
Both the prosecution and defence often make objections, sidebars happen frequently, and a livestream showed jurors’ faces on camera, prompting concerns from at least one juror.
Officer Kirton Raymond takes the stand
He was testifying about the same September 2019 incident allegedly involving Shannon Stillwell. Yesterday, an officer testified that he spotted a driver without a seatbelt, and when he tried to pull him over, the driver sped away. The car was eventually involved in an accident.
The defence is trying to cut into the officer’s testimony, underscoring that he was responsible for making the report yet wasn’t at the scene of the accident.
Trontavious Stephens testifies
The 30-year-old was a codefendant in the case but took a plea deal in December 2022.
The prosecution asked what he and his friends called Cleveland Avenue Park. He replied, “the park.” The prosecutor asked if he had ever referred to the park as “Bleveland Avenue Park,” hinting at YSL’s alleged penchant for changing Cs into Bs, and he said he hadn’t.
Mr Stephens also said that he has been involved in gangs, including ROC (Raised on Cleveland) Crew.
The witness also said he talked to Mr Steel yesterday for 10-13 minutes, but declined to speak with the prosecution without his lawyer present. Adriane Love then specifically asked why Mr Stephens agreed to speak with Mr Steel and not with her. He replied, “I never declined speaking with you” and reiterated that his lawyer wasn’t present.
She then pressed about a tattoo that Mr Stephens allegedly has that says: “75k/18.” The prosecution suggested that he previously told investigators that the tattoo meant he had $75,000 at the age of 18. Mr Stephens said he didn’t recall.
Things get heated as Trontavious Stephens testifies
The prosecutor seemed annoyed at Mr Stephens’ responses because they were a bit roundabout. She repeatedly asked him to name members of ROC Crew, a gang he said he was affiliated with. He explained that he was trying to remember everyone on the street where he grew up off of Cleveland Ave because “that’s what made us ROC Crew.”
He named two people before saying he couldn’t remember. Mr Stephens also said he didn’t recall discussing illegal activities with other members of ROC Crew.
Ms Love asked him when he joined ROC -- when he said he had to count, she said she would ask him another question as he was counting, to which he replied, “No, no, one thing at a time.”
Mr Stephens also admitted to ROC Crew being part of the national Bloods gang.
Trontavious Stephens describes gang signs
Mr Stephens said “hand signs, handshakes” and colors were a way people could identify being part of a specific gang.
After Ms Love asked him to show a hand sign to the court, the witness turned to the judge: “I’m in no way toying with this judicial system. I’m not trying to play, for the record.”
The prosecutor asked, “Did you believe, when you heard it, that harm could come to a person who falsely claimed ‘Sex Money Murder’?” Sex Money Murder is a subset of the Bloods gang, the indictment says. He replied, “yes.”
After being asked, Mr Stephens then described other hand signs used.