Lyrics Still On Trial: Young Thug and Gunna

Louder Than A Riot

NPR

Music History, Music, Society & Culture, Music Interviews, True Crime

4.4 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2022

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last week, two of Atlanta's biggest rappers Young Thug and Gunna were arrested under the RICO Act. The DA charged their crew YSL as a gang and the indictment read more like a lyrical analysis than a police report. If this sounds familiar, it's because these same tactics were used in cases we explored with DJ Drama, Bobby Shmurda, and Mac Phipps. In this bonus episode, we speak with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the impact of YSL, and how RICO is being used against rap crews.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up y'all, it's Sydney.
0:02.8	We saw your tweets, so we're back in your feed with a special report.
0:07.2	And you know the deal.
0:08.5	This show is explicit in every way.
0:26.0	I am a celebrity by young thug and gunna, two of Atlanta's biggest rap superstars.
0:32.1	Who've been arrested on re-co charges.
0:35.4	Thug and gunna were among the nearly 30 people named earlier this month in a Fulton
0:39.7	County, Georgia indictment, one that alleges YSL, a.k.a Young Slime Life, is an Atlanta
0:46.4	area gang.
0:48.1	Now fans of thugna know that his record labels also call YSL and gunna as thugs prodigy
0:54.0	releases music under that outfit.
0:56.6	Gunna is being charged with conspiracy to violate
0:58.9	Georgia's Rico Act, while thugs being charged
1:01.6	with one count of conspiracy and one count of participation
1:04.8	in criminal street activity.
1:07.4	The paperwork they got on them dates as far back as 2013,
1:10.9	and it includes charges ranging from possession
1:13.3	of marijuana to assault with a deadly weapon to murder.
1:17.5	What it also includes are social media posts
1:20.4	and rap lyrics from Thug and Gunna.
1:23.1	Tracks like anybody are being admitted as evidence
1:26.2	of, quote, overt act in furtherance of a conspiracy.
	...

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