RICO
Drake, Meg Thee Stallion & More Sign Letter To Protest Using Rap Lyrics In Court
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Noam Galai / Getty The war against Rap continues but some of our biggest talents are fighting back. Several top rappers have signed a letter to protest the use of lyrics in court. As spotted on Vulture the Hip-Hop community is trying to right a glaring wrong when it comes to rappers getting prosecuted. Artists, industry leaders, and legal experts have joined together in a call to “Protect Black Art,” publishing an open letter in The New York Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution urging legislators across America to limit how creative expression can be used against defendants on trial. Specifically, it calls for an end to the racially discriminatory practice of treating rap lyrics as confessions. Drafted and published by...
Battle Rap Star Tsu Surf Arrested In NJ On RICO Charges
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Tsu Surf, one of the standout talents in the vast battle rap scene, is currently facing a legal battle after an arrest last week. According to reports, the New Jersey rapper was arrested last Thursday (Oct. 13) at a residence in Jersey City. According to a report from Fox 5 NY, Tsu Surf, real name Rahjon Cox, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service NY NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force over a RICO charge connected to a DEA case. Cox was at the residence with a woman who has not been identified and the pair reportedly tried to exit the home via the rear but law enforcement officers surrounded the place. The outlet adds that Cox and the woman remained in a standoff with the officers for over an hour after barricading themselves...
Gunna Files Third Bond Motion; Attorneys Claims There’s ‘No Evidence’ To Support Hold
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty Atlanta rap star Gunna who was arrested in May as part of a large RICO indictment of YSL, has remained in holding. But this week, his attorneys filed a third bond motion seeking to have him released. According to court documents dated Sept. 26 that were reviewed by Complex, the rapper’s legal team said that Georgia prosecutors have failed to show evidence of its argument about why he should remain in custody. “The State has presented no evidence to support its claims of dangerousness and has dismissed the only serious overt act (75) that was present when the first bond hearing was held,” the legal team argued. Related Stories Prosecutors have twice previously argued for Gunna’s bond to be denied, however, his attorneys not...
DA In Young Thug YSL Case Says Witness Threatened By Gang Supporters
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty New developments have come forth regarding Young Thug and the RICO case against his YSL outfit. According to a new report, the DA in the case says that gang supporters reportedly threatened a witness in the ongoing matter. As reported by local outlet WSB-TV, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis states that her office discovered a document along with a portion of a prosecution witness statement posted to social media. As the outlet states, the leak of the document and statement has put that witness reportedly in harm’s way by supporters of the gang lifestyle. With Willis bringing the full brunt of her office down on the YSL collective, the lawyer for Young Thug, the supposed leader of the alleged gang, shared a statement about ...
Young Thug Slapped With 6 Additional Charges In RICO Case
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Young Thug, currently jailed as he and members of his YSL collective face a number of charges in an ongoing RICO case, was hit with six additional charges according to a new report. The Young Slime Life honcho and Hip-Hop artist has been imprisoned since May and was denied bond recently ahead of an impending trial to come at the top of 2023. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Young Thug, 30, saw charges added by the Fulton County Superior Court along with four other co-defendants in the RICO matter. Young Thug, given name Jeffery Wiliams, was given new changes of participation in criminal street gang activity, violation of the Georgia controlled substances act, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felo...
Lil Baby Rebuffs 4PF RICO Charge Rumors: “Only God Can Judge Me”
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Radio One Digital As more RICO charges are expected to be filed by Atlanta, Georgia officials, Lil Baby is rumored to be next on the list. However, he appeared unfazed by the buzz when told by fans. According to reports, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Wills did confirm earlier in July that the city of Atlanta would see more high-profile RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) cases being brought before the summer ended. Wills said in an interview concerning gang indictments that she expects two more to be filed within the next two months. Related Stories The news had many immediately speculate online that Lil Baby was the next target. The 27-year-old rapper recently announced last Friday (July 21st) tha...
Rapper Gunna Releases First Statement Since RICO Charges
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department Gunna, who is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail on state RICO charges, is addressing the public for the first time since being arrested along with Young Thug and 20+ other members of YSL by Atlanta police last month. In a statement shared on his Instagram page on his 29th birthday, the rapper wrote, “2022 has been one of the best years of my life, despite this difficult situation. This year I had the whole world pushing P,” he wrote in reference to his hit single by the same name. He added, “Growing up where I come from in a marginalized neighborhood, I never dreamt my art would change my life and the lives of my loved ones. My entire life, I’ve been Black Men, Black Wome...
DA Claims She’s Been Inundated With Threats After Young Thug RICO Indictment
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department Fani Willis the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia says that extraordinary measures are being taken to protect her and her family in the wake of threats after the indictment of rappers Young Thug, Gunna, and 20+ other members of YSL. Willis was interviewed by WSB-TV reporter Mark Winne and said that the threats have largely been on social media after the sweeping indictment. ‘ “We don’t believe that these threats were directed by anyone that is in the YSL indictment,” Willis said. “I would say that (threats are coming from) people that are very sympathetic, maybe admirers of YSL and people who are connected with them in some sense.” She added that additional threats have been coming supp...
More Charges Add Up For Young Thug After Police Raid Home
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Young Thug and several members of the alleged Young Stoner Life street gang were indicted on RICO and gang activity charges, with the Atlanta rapper now facing additional felony charges. After a raid of the popular and influential artist’s home, police tacked on a number of new charges in a case that is increasing in notoriety. WSB-TV reports that Young Thug, born Jeffrey Williams, saw his Buckhead home raided by Atlanta police, turning up a number of weapons and drugs thus adding to the gravity of the entertainer’s legal situation. Related Stories The news outlet obtained records from the Fulton County Jail listing out the additional charges Thugger faces, which include possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession o...
Casanova Pleads Guilty To Federal Narcotics & Racketeering Charges, Faces Up To 60 Years In Prison
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez In more RICO-related news, Brooklyn rapper Casanova has waved the white flag and pleaded guilty. Wednesday (May.11), Casanova, real name Caswell Senior pleaded guilty to racketeering and drug charges in connection with the Gorilla Stone Nation Gang, a group connected with the Bloods, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A statement from the Justice Department revealed as part of his plea deal, the “Set Tripping” rapper admitted to “participating in a shooting in Florida on July 5, 2020, a robbery in New York City on August 5, 2018, and conspiring to traffic over 100 kilograms of marijuana.” Casanova turned himself in to authorities on December 3, 2020, after being indicted on multiple charges. Two previous charges of as...
Rapper Gunna In Fulton County Jail On RICO Charge
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department Gunna is in custody in Fulton County Jail and facing RICO charges. The Atlanta rapper was named in the indictment, along with Young Thug, that came down on Monday (May 9) accusing his YSL label of participating in a myriad gang racketeering crimes. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gunna, born Sergio Giavonni Kitchens, 28, was booked into the Fulton jail on early Wednesday morning (May 11). Related Stories Gunna is facing one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Per the 88-page indictment, the Young Stoner Life label and its affiliates are a gang (Young Slime Life) involved in crimes like drug dealing and murder, amongst others. Besi...
Atlanta Rapper Young Thug & YSL Crew Hit With RICO Charges, Twitter Investigating
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department On Monday *May 10), Atlanta rapper Young Thug was among 28 individuals who were arrested and hit with RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) conspiracy charges. Everyone was indicted by a grand jury and stands accused of being part of a street gang, with fellow rapper Gunna among those charged. Thugger got pinched in his own crib. Reports the New York Times: Mr. Williams has reshaped the rap world throughout his decade-plus career and inspired a host of emulators as he earned three No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart and collaborated with stars across the rap world and beyond. His arrest comes as District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County — a Democrat best known for investi...
