UPDATED: 8 a.m. ET, Nov. 30, 2023
The trial against Atlanta rapper Young Thug began Monday as opening statements from the prosecution started with some hiccups.
Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was indicted last year along with more than a dozen other YSL members for violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering and gang laws.
According to MSNBC, Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love told the jury, “What you will not hear any evidence of is that the defendants were not involved in a criminal street gang.”
Young Thug’s defense attorney then objected to Love’s statement claiming the prosecution was burden-shifting, which the judge sustained.
The defense team also tried to move for a mistrial after Love potentially violated judicial orders in her PowerPoint presentation. The motion for a mistrial was ultimately dismissed by the judge.
Young Thug’s lawyers tried to change the narrative around their defendant by explaining to the jury that his name wasn’t gang-related but instead meant “Truly Humbled Under God.”
They also explained the meaning of Young Thug and Gunna’s hit track, “Pushin P,” saying it meant “Pushing Positivity.”
“It means, any circumstance you’re in, if you think positively about something, you can make it through. You’re pushing positivity,” Young Thug’s lawyer told the court.
On Wednesday, Detective Mark Belknap, testified in court about the history of street gangs in Atlanta, particularly the “Raised on Cleveland” or the “ROC Crew.” According to Fox 5, he is the first of potentially several hundred who are expected to take the stand in the trial of rapper Young Thug and five associates.
The trial is projected to last for months and has several high-profile figures as witnesses.
Lyrics To Be Allowed In Court
On Thursday, a judge ruled in favor of lyrics being used as evidence against rapper Young Thug in his upcoming trial.
According to AP,…
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