Although Atlanta’s trial of the decade (at least, that is, until court proceedings begin against a certain former president) kicked off in 2023, its biggest moments will come in the new year.
That’s because 2024 is when rapper Young Thug, given name Jeffery Lamar Williams, and his co-defendants will get their opportunity to defend themselves against a vigorous prosecution that alleges they operated one of Atlanta’s most violent gangs under the auspices of a record label. They’ll learn whether a jury buys the charges against them, which could lead to lengthy prison sentences, or whether it buys their defense, which is that rap lyrics are just words, and have no connection to the real life crimes they’re accused of committing. And we’ll all find out just how successful prosecutors might be in the future at using lyrics born of a musical genre, namely hip-hop, in which artists often find their creative inspiration in a cloudy area between fact and fiction on the street.
But first, we have to wait until the trial returns from an end-of-year halt caused by the stabbing of one of Williams’ co-defendants inside Atlanta’s notorious Rice Street jail.
Meanwhile, here’s a recap of the phase of the trial that’s kept Atlanta captivated all year:
- Opening statements began in late November after a monthslong jury selection process that included hiccups such as a defense attorney’s arrest, defendants allegedly passing drugs in court and a potential juror being sentenced to three days in jail for recording jury selection on her phone.
- Adriane Love, who is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, introduced her case, which alleges that Young Thug runs a criminal street gang called YSL or Young Slime Life. The original indictment charged Young Thug and 27 co-defendants with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. However, after a year-and-a-half of plea deals and a number of the indicted being severed from Young Thug’s case, only six co-defendants remain.
- If convicted, the defendants face between five and 20 years in prison. Some are also charged with crimes including murder, drug possession and intention to distribute, which they are alleged to have committed in YSL’s name. The defense maintains that YSL only stands for Young Stoner Life, a record label founded by Young Thug in 2016 owned by Warner Music Group.
- Brian Steel, Young Thug’s attorney, contradicted the prosecutor’s characterization of Young Thug as someone who used his wealth and influence to lead a criminal street gang. Instead, Steel argued that the rapper was surrounded by people who hoped their proximity to the star would bring them money and social capital. Steel suggested jurors view rap lyrics as a form of free speech and artistic expression, social media posts as a form of marketing, and argued that private messages were being presented out of context.
- In what might be the trial’s biggest ruling outside of the verdict itself, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville ruled in early November that some of the co-defendants’ rap lyrics could be used as evidence despite much opposition from the defense. Steel spoke at length during his opening statement about the lyrics, social media posts and private messages entered as evidence by the prosecution.
- Atlanta Police Detective Mark Belknap testified as an expert witness, identifying YSL as a gang. He also told jurors that some members of YSL had previously been members of ROC (Raised On Cleveland) Crew, an older gang that came out of the neighborhood where Young Thug was raised.
- Jurors also heard testimony from a former “house mom” at Pink Pony South, a strip club in Forest Park, who was rear-ended and then carjacked by Trontavious Stephens in 2013. Stephens, who is listed on the indictment as a co-founder of YSL, is not on trial because last December he took a plea deal in exchange for time served and eight years probation.
- Jurors will have to wait until next year to hear from more testimony. The court went into recess a week earlier than planned after Shannon Stillwell, one of the six co-defendants, was stabbed in Fulton County Jail in an altercation with another inmate.
Although more than 700 names remain on the prosecution’s list of potential witnesses, it is likely not all will be called to testify.
