Gunna

2022 - 12 - 14

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Variety"

Gunna to Be Released After Pleading Guilty to Racketeering and ... (Variety)

Gunna will be released from jail after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge as part of a gang indictment against him and Young Thug.

Using lyrics as evidence in criminal trials has become a highly controversial [The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act](https://variety.com/2022/music/news/rap-lyrics-cant-be-used-evidence-newsom-california-new-bill-1235389803/), which restricts the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court in California, which the Black Music Action Coalition called a “crucial step in the right direction” of not injecting racial bias into court proceedings. He continued: “I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will. [October](https://variety.com/2022/music/news/gunna-jail-denied-release-trial-1235402425/). [Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/gunna-plea-deal-released-from-jail-ysl-case) in which the artist said he wanted to “make it perfectly clear that I have not made any statements, have not been interviewed, have not cooperated, have not agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely no intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.” [Gunna](https://variety.com/t/gunna/) has entered a guilty plea to a racketeering conspiracy charge as part of a gang indictment against him and fellow rapper [Young Thug](https://variety.com/t/young-thug/), along with numerous alleged members of the YSL — for Young Slime Life — “gang.” Invoking the “Alford plea,” he maintains his innocence but accepts the punishment of a guilty verdict.

Rapper Gunna pleads guilty in racketeering case in Atlanta (WOKV)

Fulton County prosecutors in May obtained the sprawling 88-page indictment that said members of the Young Slime Life criminal street gang committed violent ...

Gunna out of jail after guilty plea to racketeering charge (Los Angeles Times)

Gunna, the rapper who was arrested in Atlanta in May as part of a RICO case against the Young Slime Life gang, was released from jail Wednesday.

Gunna said in the statement that he did not consider YSL to be a “gang” when he became affiliated with the group in 2016. “I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will,” Gunna said in the statement. Some of the defendants were charged with violent crimes such as murder and attempted armed robbery. He He must stay away from guns and from his co-defendants unless the communication goes through attorneys or his record label. The rapper’s sentence will be completed once he does his community service, attorney Steve Sadow said.

Gunna Released From Jail After Taking Plea in YSL Gang Case (Rolling Stone)

The rapper — real name Sergio Kitchens — explained his plea in a statement issued via his lawyers. In it, Kitchens said he was taking an “Alford plea,” ...

Gunna Is Officially a Free Man Thanks to a Plea Deal (GQ Magazine)

The rapper stressed that this deal does not mean he will be cooperating with the prosecution going forward in the case against Young Thug and YSL.

The prosecution in the YSL RICO case, which includes 28 total defendants, argued that the entity (alternately called Young Stoner Life and Young Slime Life) is actually a dangerous gang that has facilitated and perpetrated crimes around the Atlanta area. [on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CmJzWIDLBCp/?hl=en), aimed at assisting families in need during the holiday season. “My focus of YSL was entertainment - rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community.” Per WSB-TV, the multi-platinum rapper received a five-year sentence, with one commuted because of the time he’s already spent incarcerated. In addition to Gunna, [the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported](https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/alleged-ysl-co-founder-negotiates-guilty-plea-in-rico-indictment/AXLK47XBHZAANP2UGWRNCBA5PY/) that Walter Murphy, another member of YSL, also plead guilty. Gunna (whose real name is Sergio Kitchens) also released a public statement where he said he has never viewed YSL as a gang, but instead as a creative collective, and stressed that this plea does not mean he will be cooperating with the prosecution going forward.

Gunna Freed from Prison After Taking Plea Deal in YSL Rico Case (TMZ)

Gunna has ended his months-long incarceration by pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in the YSL Rico Case.

He also laid emphasis that his guilty plea didn’t mean any cooperation against any other YSL members … even if it meant an exaggeration of the “Black urban” lifestyle. The remaining 4 will be suspended, pending community service and other special conditions.