Young Thug and Gunna’s Arrest: Everything You Need to Know
Music fans were surprised by the news of Young Thug and Gunna’s arrests. The rappers, who are close friends and collaborators, were reportedly arrested on Monday, May 9, on a number of serious charges. Find out the allegations against them and everything else we know so far.
Young Thug and Gunna are facing charges along with other YSL members
News broke on the evening of May 9 that police had arrested Young Thug and Gunna in their hometown of Atlanta, GA. Complex reported that the rappers, whose respective real names are Jeffery Williams and Sergio Kitchens, were arrested along with 26 other YSL affiliates in a 56-count indictment. YSL, which stands for “Young Stoner/Slime Life,” is a hip-hop collective and record label created by Young Thug. Police allege it is affiliated with the Bloods gang and was used for criminal purposes.
Young Thug is reportedly facing charges of racketeering and participation in organized crime, per Complex. Pitchfork reports the indictment lists a number of crimes between 2013 and 2022. For instance, in a 2015 incident, police claim Young Thug rented a car used to carry out the murder of Donovan Thomas Jr., an alleged “rival gang member.”
It also mentions that, more recently, members allegedly tried to make a second attempt on YFN Lucci. YFN Lucci is a fellow Atlanta rapper and has feuded with Young Thug in the past. He is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges and claimed months ago that he had been stabbed in jail.
Police charged Gunna, for his part, with conspiring to violate RICO. Young Thug will reportedly make his first appearance in court on May 10, but it’s unclear when Gunna will.
Young Thug’s lawyer spoke out after his and Gunna’s arrests
After their arrests, Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel issued a statement defending his client.
“I’ll tell you the response to any allegation is Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” he told WSB-TV.
It doesn’t appear that a representative for Gunna has spoken out. Showbiz Cheat Sheet reached out to his representatives for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Inside Young Thug and Gunna’s relationship
The rappers have reportedly known each other since 2015 when they met on the set of Young Thug’s “With That” video, according to Genius. Gunna made his first notable feature on Young Thug’s “Floyd Mayweather” song from his Jeffery album (2016). Eventually, he signed to YSL, and they continued to collaborate on tracks like “Hot” and “Ski.”
“It’s Batman and Robin,” 300 Entertainment boss Kevin Liles told Billboard of their relationship. “If one needs to lead, one leads; if one needs to follow, the other one follows.”
One of Young Thug and Gunna’s most recent successes is the 2021 album Slime Language 2. The follow-up to 2018’s Slime Language, it featured appearances from Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Coi Leray, and Future. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
