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More alleged details about Young Thug and his YSL conglomerate are coming to light on day two of the record label’s RICO trial. As The Shade Room previously reported, the rapper and 27 others were arrested in Georgia in May 2022.
Most defendants have severed from the case or taken plea deals, as Young Thug and five others maintain their innocence against racketeering and conspiracy charges.
As The Shade Room previously reported, day one of opening statements in the YSL trial began on Monday, November 27.
The day primarily consisted of Georgia district attorney Adriane Love’s allegation that Young Thug is the “head” of YSL. Furthermore, the state contends that the group, disguised as a music label called Young Stoner Life Records, is actually an “Atlanta-based street gang” responsible for murder, drug, and firearm violations.
“YSL operated as a pack,” Love reportedly told the courtroom Monday. “…For 10 years and counting, the group calling itself Young Slime Life dominated the Cleveland Avenue community of Fulton County. They created a crater … that sucked in the youth, innocence and even the lives of some of its youngest members.”
Day one’s proceeding was even plagued with the talk of a mistrial. However, the proceeding has pressed on into day two with Young Thug’s defense attorney, Brian Steel, sharing his opening statements.
According to legal reporter Meghann Cuniff, Steel began by explaining to the courtroom that Young Thug was “born into an environment, a community, a society that was filled with oppression, despair, hopelessness and helplessness.”
From there, Steel reportedly explained the meaning of “Thug” in Young Thug’s stage name as “Truly Humbled Under God.”
“If he could ever make it as a musical artist and help his family, himself and his many others out of this endless cycle of hopelessness, he would be truly humbled under God. That’s what thug means,” Steel explained in footage captured and shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Cuniff.
According to journalist Bryson “Boom” Paul, Steel went on to establish Young Thug’s idolization of Lil Wayne as a teenager.
From there, Steel reportedly referenced a now-deleted video of Young Thug taunting Lil Wayne around the time that the latter rapper’s tour bus was riddled with bullets in 2015, per REVOLT.
According to MTV, around that time, Lil Wayne had instructed fans to “stop listening” to Young Thug’s music.
Steel likened the rappers’ “battle” to NFL rivalries in his statements.
However, Steel’s establishment of the rappers’ alleged relationship and Young Thug’s reverence for Lil Wayne did not stop there. Journalist Jewel Wicker reports that Steel explained to the courtroom that Young Thug’s use of “Slime” stemmed from Lil Wayne.
Furthermore, Steel even took the time to explain that Young Thug’s alleged gang affiliation is misperceived.
As previously reported by The Shade Room, Young Thug remains one of six defendants in the ongoing trial, which was halted by a ten-month jury selection.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville presides over the case, which now features a 12-person jury.
Furthermore, Rolling Stone reports that the jurors consist of nine women and three men. Additionally, nine of the twelve jurors are Black.
According to CNN, the trial is expected to last months and features a witness list that may spark celebrities such as Lil Wayne taking the stand.
