Young Thug, the Atlanta rapper born Jeffery Lamar Williams, was released from jail on Thursday after entering a guilty plea to charges of involvement in a street gang, as well as drug and firearms offenses. This development marks a surprising end to Georgia’s longest-running trial.
The 33-year-old was one of 28 alleged members of YSL, a purported gang accused of crimes ranging from racketeering to murder. Prosecutors claimed YSL, or “Young Slime Life,” is linked to the Bloods gang. Young Thug pleaded no contest to racketeering charges and admitted to firearm and drug-related counts, resulting in a sentence of time served and 15 years probation.
Fulton County prosecutor Adriane Love cited lyrics from Young Thug’s music as evidence, while the defense argued his YSL label is a hip-hop collective, not a gang.
