ATLANTA – Rapper Young Thug is a free man. after pleading guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges.

Approximately two and a half years after he was arrested on the charges in a accusation of expanding gangs and extortionYoung Thug was released Thursday night. It was a notable development in a trial that dragged on and was plagued with problems.

Jury selection at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta started in January 2023 and it took almost 10 months. Prosecutors had called dozens of witnesses since opening statements last November in the trial of six defendants.

Here are some things you should know about the declaration:

Who is the young bully?

Young Thug, an Atlanta-based artist whose given name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, is known for his eccentric style, his muttered rapping, and his squeaky, high-pitched voice. He rose to popularity with hits like “Stoner” and “Best Friend” and co-wrote the hit “This is America” ​​with Childish Gambino, which became the first hip-hop song to appear. wins song of the year Grammy in 2019.

Young Thug has collaborated with other major artists including Drake, Chris Brown, T.I., and Travis Scott. Elton John called working with Young Thug an “amazing moment” after recording the song “Always Love You” with Nicki Minaj and Gunna.

She broke the hypermasculine norms of the hip-hop scene, wearing a dress on the cover of her 2016 “Jeffery” mixtape and saying there is no such thing as gender as part of a Calvin Klein campaign.

Young Thug, 33, grew up in a suburban Atlanta housing project that was marred by crime and violence.

What was he accused of?

He was originally charged and arrested on May 9, 2022, with more charges added in a subsequent indictment in August. The second indictment charged Young Thug and 27 others with conspiring to violate the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The rapper was also charged with participating in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and weapons charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and two others co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is associated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment says Young Thug “made YSL a household name by referring to him in his songs and on social media.”

Prosecutors described him as a gang leader known as King Slime, someone who calls the shots and directs others to engage in criminal activity.

How did the allegation arise?

Prosecutors had been negotiating with Young Thug’s lawyers to try to reach a deal that would end his participation in the lengthy trial. But those efforts stalled when the two sides disagreed on conditions.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, declined to discuss the negotiations. But he said prosecutors were pushing for “outrageous” conditions: “They would let him out of custody, but they would hold him down so tightly that it would be unconscionable.”

Instead, the rapper moved forward with a potentially risky non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he was entering pleas without having a deal with prosecutors.

He pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two weapons charges. He also pleaded no contest to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning he decided not to contest those charges but could be punished as if he had pleaded guilty.

Will he spend time in prison?

No, as long as he complies with the conditions of his sentence.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker imposed a total sentence of 40 years. The first five years were to be served in prison, but were commuted to time served. Then he has 15 years of probation. Finally, he will have his “backlogged” 20 years in prison commuted to time served if he complies with all the conditions of his parole. If he does not successfully complete his probation, he will have to serve those 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors wanted Young Thug to be sentenced to 45 years, with 25 years in prison and the remaining 20 on probation. The charges against him carried a possible maximum sentence of 120 years in prison, said prosecutor Adriane Love.

Steel had asked the judge for a sentence of 45 years, five years in prison commuted to time served and 40 years of probation.

What did you say to the judge before handing down the sentence?

He apologized to his family, his managers, court aides and “really everyone who had anything to do with this situation” for the time his case took.

“I hope you will allow me to go home today and trust me to do the right thing,” he told the judge, promising he would never be in this type of situation again.

“I’ve learned from my mistakes, you know? I come from nothing and I’ve done something and I didn’t make the most of it. “I’m sorry,” he said.

He told her he understands her impact on people and said he has also tried to give back, returning millions of dollars to his community.

What are the conditions of your sentence?

You must stay away from the Atlanta metropolitan area, as defined by the census, for the first 10 years of your parole, except for weddings, funerals, graduations, or a serious illness in an immediate family member. You can arrive 24 hours before the event and must leave within 48 hours after.

But he must also return to the Atlanta area four times during each year of his probation to make a presentation against gangs and gun violence at an elementary, middle or high school, or at an organization such as the Boys & Girls Club. . Those visits can count toward the 100 hours of community service he must complete during each year of his probation.

He also cannot have conscious contact with any member of a criminal street gang. The judge said that includes others named in the indictment, except for his brother and rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations.

You may not participate in criminal street gang activity or promote any gang, even through hand signals.

He also cannot contact the victims in the case or their families, cannot possess a weapon, must not use drugs other than those prescribed for him, must submit to random drug testing and must allow searches of himself, his property and your electronic devices. .

What do prosecutors say about the sentence?

“The convictions in this case represent the accountability of admitted members of YSL, a violent street gang,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office said in a statement Friday. The statement says prosecutors are committed to continuing to pursue charges against the remaining defendants.

What happened during the trial?

The trial has been long and plagued with problems.

Before the trial began, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over whether the defendants’ rap lyrics should be admitted into evidence. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, the original judge, allowed prosecutors to introduce certain lyrics as long as they could prove they were related to crimes Young Thug and others were accused of committing. Defense attorneys had asked the judge to exclude them, arguing that the lyrics are constitutionally protected speech and would be unfairly prejudicial.

Just weeks after prosecutors began presenting evidence, the trial had to be suspended because one of Young Thug’s co-defendants was stabbed in jail.

In June, Steel told Glanville in open court that he had learned of a meeting in the judge’s chambers between the judge, prosecutors and a prosecution witness. When Steel refused to tell him how he had found out about the meeting, Glanville I found it in contempt and ordered him to spend 10 weekends in jail. That sentence was stayed while Steel appealed, and the Georgia Supreme Court recently overturned the contempt ruling.

Glanville was removed from the case the following month after defense attorneys requested his recusal, citing the judge’s meeting with prosecutors and a state witness. That caused another delay until Whitaker was appointed to take control.

In September, Whitaker became frustrated with Love, the lead prosecutor, saying the case was being presented “haphazardly” and that she couldn’t say “whether there’s a purpose to all of this or it’s just really poor lawyering.”

What about the other defendants?

Three co-defendants had has already pleaded guilty this week after reaching agreements with prosecutors. That leaves only two other co-defendants in the trial.

Nine people charged in the indictment, including gunnaaccepted plea deals before the trial began. Twelve others will be tried separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against a defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.