Culture | The singer and the song

At Young Thug’s blockbuster trial, rap lyrics are used as evidence

Their use in court raises issues of prejudice and free expression

FILE - Rapper Young Thug performs on Day 4 of the Lollapalooza Music Festival, Aug. 1, 2021, at Grant Park in Chicago. Young Thug, accused by prosecutors of cofounding a criminal street gang responsible for violent crimes and using his songs and social media to promote it, is set to go to trial starting Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) — Image: AP

Feb 23rd 2023

READ ALOUD in court, the words sounded like a confession: “Fuck the judge…this that mob life…cookin’ white brick.” Not long ago the defendant, Jeffery Williams, was rapping these lines on stage. Now the songs that propelled him to fame as “Young Thug”, earning him a Grammy award and an appearance on “Saturday Night Live”, are being used against him. Prosecutors in Atlanta allege that his record label, YSL, which stands for Young Stoner Life, is both a music collective and a violent gang. They say Young Thug (pictured) is its kingpin—and cite his lyrics as evidence. Mr Williams denies criminal wrongdoing of any kind.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The singer and the song”