Bond for the currently incarcerated Young Thug, who’s accused of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act, was denied by a Georgia judge.
According to Associated Press, Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville said that he has significant concerns about the rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, being a danger to the community.
Prosecutors argue that Williams sits atop as the head of the alleged street gang called Young Slime Life, citing that the gang committed multiple murders, shootings, and carjackings over roughly a decade and promoted its activities in songs and on social media. The 88-page indictment charges him, rapper Gunna — whose real name is Sergio Kitchens — aspiring rapper Christian Eppinger and 24 others with racketeering.
Eppinger was already in jail, accused of shooting an Atlanta police officer six times in February. Williams, who has been in custody since his arrest last month, has had several witnesses to counter the image prosecutors have attempted to paint, pointing to the musician’s community involvement.
Music executive Kevin Liles even testified that Williams was “like a son,” and that he was willing to put up his own wealth and business behind a bond. “He is not just an artist — he’s an influencer, a person I think was put here to change the people around him,” and a “contributing citizen to this world.”
For instance, Thug co-wrote the hit song, “This Is America” with Childish Gambino, making history when it became the first hip-hop track to win the Song of the Year Grammy in 2019.