Atlanta rapper Young Thug's lyrics from 'Really Be Slime', 'Anybody', and 'Slime S*@t' and other songs will be admissible as evidence in court as his trial is set to begin on November 27, 2023.
A judge in Atlanta, where he is being tried, made the ruling this week noting that the songs will be used “...to prove other things your clients may have been involved in. I don’t think it’s an attack on free speech".
Young Thug is on trial for allegedly running a gang, Young Slime Life, which executed murders & carjackings, trafficked drugs and was involved in a number of other crimes for approximately 10 years.
The 'Stoner' rapper founded his Young Stoner Life record company in 2016 which prosecutors claim was comprised of YSL gang members.
One of the prosecutors, in his submissions to the court, noted: "The issue here is not rap. This is not randomly the state attempting to bring in Run DMC from the 80s. This is specific. These are party admissions. They just happen to come in the form of lyrics."
Lyrics cited as evidence in Young Thug's case
In the second verse of the 2021 song 'Really Be Slime', Thug raps, "You wanna be slime? Go catch you a body" which the prosecution intends to prove meant that the YSL gang members had to commit a murder to belong.
'Anybody', a 2018 song in which Nicki Minaj was featured, the line "I never killed anybody, But I got somethin’ to do with that body, I told them to shoot a hundred rounds ... ready for war like I’m Russia ... I get all type of cash, I’m a general" was also cited as evidence that could see Young Thug facing a life sentence.
In the 2016 song, 'Slime Sh*t', prosecutors argued that Jeffery Williams made reference to killing a police officer when he raps in the chorus "...YSL sh*t, killin' 12 sh*t...".
Further, the song's pre-chorus lyrics, "Hundred rounds in a Tahoe", have been linked to a 2015 drive-by murder of one Donovan Thomas, whose death is charged to the YSL gang members under trial.
“Not only did Donovan Thomas drive a Tahoe, there were multiple rounds of shell casings laid out on the ground where he was killed in front of his barbershop.
“While it may on the surface seem irrelevant, when you put it to the facts that are going to come out in this case, that particular verse becomes very relevant,” the prosecution side told the court this week.
Other lyrics that the prosecution intends to use as evidence include:-
- "Come and enroll to the YSL school and I swear I'm the principal (Slime), I do not care if you slime for a dollar and change, it's the principle (Slime)" from 2015 song '730'.
- "I was a capo in my hood way 'fore a plaque or a mention (Woo)" from 2021 song 'Tick Tock'.
- "I shot at his mommy, no he longer mention me" from 2021 song 'Bad Boy' where he was featured by Juice WRLD.
- "Gave the lawyer close to two mil, he handle all the killings ... we don’t speak ‘bout s*** on wax it’s all mob business, we known to kill the biggest cat of all kittens," and "Ooh-woo, I done for the crew, ooh-woo, I done did the robbin,’ i done did the jackin’, now I’m full rappin'... I escaped every one of them licks ‘cuz I was supposed to be rich, I don’t care nothing ‘bout no cop, I’m tellin’ you just how it is" from 2019 song 'Just How It Is'.
- "Money longer than the world’s longest ruler, yeah, playing with YSL, n***** gon’ shoot you..." from 2019 song 'Thug N 30'
- "Honestly, truth be told, YSL won’t fold, pick his a** off from the balcony ... YSL wipe a n**** nose" from 2014 song 'Eww'
- "I f**k with slatts and we come to eat rats and I came with some f**kin' piranhas" and "Duke Rollin' 60's/He locked in C's." from 2021 song 'Ski'
- "I killed his man in front of his momma/Like f**k lil bruh, sister and his cousin" from 2021 song 'Slatty'
- "For slimes you know I kill, trial/I done beat it twice, state/I'm undefeated like feds came and snatched me, don’t know/No point in asking" from 2021 song 'Take It To Trial'
- "Hey, how you doin'? I'm Yak Gotti (Woo)/I got bodies on bodies" from 2015 song 'Dream'