Ever since Young Thug and members of Young Stoner Life (YSL) were charged and arrested in a 56-count indictment, the trial has been filled with nothing but bizarre and shocking moments.
This is all while the fate of Young Thug, the leader of YSL, is still up in the air.
I’m not sure where to start, but the number of weird, whacky, and shocking moments, in this case, have made this one of the most polarizing trials in recent hip-hop history.
Young Thug’s attorney given jail sentence
Earlier this week, in a wild twist in events, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, will spend the next 10 weekends in jail after being held in contempt of court.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Steel refused to tell Judge Ural Glanville how he learned of a meeting between himself, a prosecuting attorney, and one of the state’s star witnesses.
Steel will be allowed to spend the weekends in jail with Thug so they can work on their case.
Witness high while on the witness stand
In March, as Adrian Bean was called to the witness stand for cross-examination, he admitted to being high as attorneys were asking him questions.
“Can I get water or something?” he said, “I’m so high right now y’all I’m about to go to sleep to sleep on y’all.”
After he was given a bottle of water, Bean was asked by District Attorney Adriane Love if he “needed a moment.”
Bean responded, “Let’s keep the ball rolling.”
Watch the wild incident play out below:
Young Thug’s father asks questions on Trump
The fact that former President Donald Trump and Young Thug both face RICO charges in the exact same county is one of the weirdest things to happen.
In August 2023, a picture of Thug’s father, Jeffrey Williams Sr., was shared a post on social media. The photo showed him wearing a shirt that said “FREE YSL” and a poster that read, “FREE YSL. TRUMP & CREW GOT BOND, YOUNG THUG & YSL FACE THE EXACT SAME CHARGES BUT NO BOND? MAKE JUSTIVE FAIR!! WE DESERVE A FAIR FIGHT TOO FANI.”
Young Thug releases album from jail
While this isn’t directly involved with the trial, it’s wild that the case’s central figure released an album in June 2023 while still awaiting his fate.
The album, titled, “BUSINESS IS BUSINESS,” featured many notable acts including Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Future, and 21 Savage.
Young Thug hospitalized
In May 2023, Thug was hospitalized after falling ill during jury selection for his trial.
Thug’s second attorney, Keith Adams, told Vulture, “Jeffery was not feeling well earlier, and the sheriff’s office had him seen by medical personnel to ensure that he was okay. We expect to be back in court tomorrow as we continue to fight these charges and work toward getting him home.”
Lawyer in case threatens to make an OnlyFans
In May 2023, Attorney Angela D’Williams, a state state-appointed attorney in the YSL RICO case, threatened to start an OnlyFans if she and her colleagues were not compensated enough for their work.
In an interview with WSB-TV, she said, “This case is slated to last for about a year, and if you were to do the math, it would be six dollars an hour. I can’t take any new cases. I can’t close any cases. I need something to survive off of.”
She continued, “We were under the impression that GPDC [Georgia Public Defender Council] was advocating for us, and once they put those walls up, I’m thinking I need to start an OnlyFans. I asked for additional funds back in March, and that was met with a letter from the director saying she doesn’t need to meet with me anymore. I need to know what she has done to advocate for the appointed counsel in this case.”
Young Thug attempts to make a drug exchange
In January 2023, a video showed Young Thug and a co-defendant, Kahlieff Adams, making a drug exchange while in the courtroom in front of the jury, lawyers, deputies, and witnesses.
The surveillance footage shows Adams approaching Thug as he���s sitting next to his attorney in court. Then, Adams allegedly hands the Atlanta rapper a Percocet, a drug used to relieve pain.
A deputy saw the exchange instantly and confronted Thug, who handed the pill over. When deputies searched Adams, they found Percocet, marijuana, and tobacco wrapped in plastic with food seasonings to hide the smell of the marijuana.
Judge threatens to arrest Gunna’s family
In October 2022, as Gunna was denied bond for the third time Judge Ural Glanville threatened to arrest the Atlanta rapper’s family members, saying, “The only thing I can potentially do, like I said, I will try the case as expeditiously as possible. But at this point in time, I don’t find any change in circumstances that would allow me or move me to change my decision as to bond.”
Shortly afterward, people can be heard verbally disagreeing with the judge’s words. Judge Glanville then responds by saying, “If anybody is in the gallery and you can’t otherwise control yourself, or otherwise you want to make inappropriate comments, then you can leave at this point in time. No harm will come or nothing else will occur.”
As people started to leave the courtroom, the Judge threatened everyone, stating, “If you remain in this courtroom and make any outbursts, I’ll have you arrested.”
Young Thug sued in jail
Jail does not stop people from wanting money they feel they are owed.
In August 2022, Thug was sued for $150,000 over a canceled concert he was supposed to perform at on June 18, 2022. But thanks to his legal troubles, he could not perform and now the concert promoter wants their money back.
Teenager Threatens deputy
In June 2022, just a month after YSL members were arrested and charged in the case, an 18-year-old threatened to kill a Fulton County sheriff and his wife if Young Thug was not released immediately.
On Instagram, the teenager commented on one of Patrick Labat’s posts, writing, “#freethug or imma shoot u and your wife.”