Rapper Young Thug freed after pleading guilty to drug, gang and gun charges

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

About two and a half years after he was arrested on the charges in a sprawling gang and racketeering indictment, Young Thug was released from custody Thursday evening. It was a remarkable development in a trial that's dragged on and been plagued by problems.

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

An Atlanta-based artist, whose given name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, Young Thug is known for his eccentric style. He shot to popularity with breakout hits including Stoner and Best Friend and has collaborated with top artists including Childish Gambino, Drake, Chris Brown, T.I., Travis Scott and Elton John.

The 33-year-old grew up in a suburban Atlanta housing project that was marred by crime and violence.

He was originally indicted and arrested May, 9, 2022, and more charges were added in a subsequent indictment that August. The second indictment accused Young Thug and 27 others of conspiring to violate Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The rapper was also accused of participation in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and gun charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and two other people 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 well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media."

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

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

Instead, the rapper went forward with a potentially risky non-negotiated or "blind" plea, meaning he was entering pleas without having a deal in place with prosecutors.

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

Young Thug will not spend time in prison as long as he abides by the conditions of his sentence.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker gave him a total sentence of 40 years. The first five years were to be served in prison, but that was commuted to time served. Then he has 15 years on probation. Finally, a "backloaded" 20 years in prison will be commuted to time served if he complies with all of the conditions of his probation. If he doesn't complete his probation successfully, he will have to serve those 20 years in prison.

Before sentencing, the rapper apologized to his family, his managers, the courtroom deputies and "really everybody that got something to do with this situation" for the time his case ate up.