Young Thug is denied bail for a third time as he faces 62 felony charges for being part of YSL gang

Young Thug has been denied bail for a third time, as attorneys for the Atlanta-based rapper continue to claim violent rap lyrics were misattributed to him, even though prosecutors insist he was one of the two co-founders of the Young Slime Gang.  

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville had previously denied motions to reconsider bond for Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffrey Williams. 

A motion hearing held in court on Thursday saw the rapper waive concerns relating to conflicts of interests for his one of his attorneys, Brian Steele. 

The ‘This is America’ singer now faces a colossal total of 62 charges related to his participation in criminal street gang activity, posession of several firearms including a machine gun, and a violation of the Georgia controlled substances act.

Thursday’s hearing also saw Young Thug’s lawyers argue that prosecutors had created a false narrative in previous bond hearings, including accrediting the rapper to certain lyrics in songs from 2014 that he features in. They said their client did not write them.

‘I believe the court was misled in that regard, saying Mr. Williams made those declarations – he simply did not, that’s not accurate,’ his attorney Keith Adams said in court. These songs mentioned in the hearing were not made public. 

The prosecution retaliated, stating that the rapper was still publicly credited to these disputed lyrics, even if he did not write them and that they were inconsequential to claims associated Young Thug to being ‘the general’ of the Young Slime Life gang.

‘He says in the songs he’s the general. He runs a very violent street gang that has committed numerous murders… if he’s let out I would expect that to continue. This is the real deal, these are violent people, dangerous people,’ a prosecutor said.

Young Thug has been placed behind bars since his arrest earlier this year in May, along with fellow rapper Gunna and 28 other people associated with YSL who were charged in an initial 56-count Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment in a state court. 

Following a raid at his home on May 9, Young Thug was charged with six additional felonies related to possession of illegal substances and illegal firearms. 

He is set to remain locked up in Cobb County Jail until the start of the RICO trial, with a possible court date likelt to be held early January.

The YSL gang, which prosecutors accused Young Thug of designating himself as the chief, committed multiple murders, shootings and carjackings over the last decade and promoted its activities in songs and on social media, prosecutors alleged in the original indictment. 

Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steele, has consistently mainted his client’s innocence and looks forward to fighting the charges in court.

‘Mr. Williams has committed absolutely no crimes,’ Steele told the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on August 10. ‘We cannot wait for a trial date.’

The ‘Hot’ rapper was also hit with a new lawsuit this week after he was not able to perform at an Atlanta concert that was suppose to take place in June. Thug is being sued for $150,000 in damanges and legal fees for the show’s cancellation. Around that time, the rapper was denied one of his previous two bond releases.

He was going to receive $300,000 for a 45-minutes showing, half of which was already paid upfront, according to Complex. A-1 Concert Entertainement, which operates out of Atlanta, further told the outlet that it has yet to be refunded though a spokesperson at Young Slime Life Touring responded that a refund woud eventually be sent out. 

‘Due to his arrest and the nature of the felony criminal charges against Williams, it was immediately apparent in May 2022 that he would not be able to perform as required in the agreement,’ the complaint’s filing said. ‘To date, A-1 Concert has not received any reimbursement of the $150,000 owed to it.’ 

Meanwhile, Martinez Arnold, also known as Duke, and Deamonte Kendrick, also known as Yak Gotti, face additional charges including participation in criminal street gang activity, violation of the Georgia controlled substances act, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a machine gun. 

Kendrick also has been indicted on a charge of possession of a firearm by convicted felon.

Shannon Stillwell and Quamarvious Nichols were charged with one additional count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon related to the death of Shymel Drinks on March 18.

Arnold’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, told WSB-TV that she is confident her client won’t be convicted. She said he will plead not guilty to the new charges as he already has to the original charges.

The indictments center around Young Slime Life, an alleged gang prosecutors say was founded by Williams and two others in Atlanta with ties to the national Bloods gang.

Young Thug co-wrote the hit ‘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.