Rap on Trial

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STORY

When news surfaced on May 9 that Young Thug and Gunna had been taken into custody, they hoped it would be another forgettable, quickly-resolved incident that would end in a leaked mugshot and bail. Then more details began to emerge, and it didn’t look good at all.

28 associates of Young Thug’s label Young Slime Life (YSL) had been arrested as part of a 56-count indictment for allegedly violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

And then there was one damning factor: the rappers’ lyrics would be used as evidence in court.

While this is clearly in violation of constitutional free speech, it’s only the latest in a growing number of criminal proceedings targeting artistic expression in hip-hop.

Weaponizing lyrics to convict and incarcerate artists is a legal onslaught that is unique to rap; if this precedent stands, no one who has ever rhymed on a beat is safe.

Young Thug’s charges date back to 2013. The indictment paints a picture of the YSL label as a cover for criminal activities and gang recruitment, reigned over by Thug. He is accused of over 30 RICO violations.

Meanwhile, Gunna has one single RICO charge pinned on him that his lawyers described as “so thin as to be transparent.” And with District Attorney Fani T. Willis looking to pursue the “maximum penalties,” Thug and Gunna could be facing 20 years each.

In the indictment, alleged crimes ranging from gang murders to making “terroristic threats” depict Young Thug as a ruthless crime boss rather than a generation defining artist, his entire career and flourishing label twisted to resemble nothing but a front for a criminal masterplan. And Thug’s associates, childhood friends – many of whom are Black and grew up in the same impoverished neighborhoods, are lumped into the “gang” narrative and held responsible for its activities.

Prosecutors claim they can prove all of this based on YSL’s lyrics and social media presence.