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Young Thug and his legal team delivered opening statements on Tuesday (November 28), with an attorney telling the court that the rapper’s lyrics are not evidence of crimes. Instead, the lawyer argued that the music told stories about the rough upbringing Young Thug experienced in the streets of Atlanta and not that of an assumed crime lord.
The RICO trial brought by the state of Georgia against Young Thug and over two dozeon other defendants connected to the alleged street operation YSL opened on Monday (November 27) with prosecutors stating that the rapper, born Jeffrey Williams, was the mastermind of a criminal organization.
As seen in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, attorney Brian Steel pushed back at the assertion that Thug’s success was tied to street crimes instead of his successful music career. Framing Thug’s humble upbringing in an Atlanta housing project as one of 11 children, Steel says that the music the rapper would go on to make was nothing more than him unpacking the things he saw as a young person.
Steel’s statements contrasted with those made by Fulton County’s chief deputy district attorney, Adriane Love, who referred to Young Thug under another name: King Slime. Love stated that as King Slime, Thug directed the YSL gang that, quote, “moved like a pack” under his leadership.
Judge Ural Glanville granted prosecutors passage to use 17 sets of lyrics from Thug in the trial to prove their case. Steel argues that the use of the lyrics is nothing more than artistic expression and a violation of free speech.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans are reacting to Young Thug and his current ordeal. Check out those replies below.
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Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney leading the prosecution against Donald Trump and over a dozen co-conspirators in a RICO case, has proven her mettle time and again. In a fiery rebuke of Republican Party Rep. Jim Jordan, Fani Willis explicitly told the congressman that his investigation into the RICO case makes it appear that he’s out of his legal depths.
Fani Willis sent Rep. Jordan a nine-page letter addressing his plans to investigate her office’s probe into the affairs of Trump and the others named in the RICO case, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. From her viewpoint, Willis sees Jordan’s attempt to look further into her tactics as a form of interfering with the matter.
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Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, requested to see communication between the Fulton County DA’s office and the Justice Department as it relates to both the RICO case and the Justice Department also indicting Trump for alleging attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election in his favor. Jordan’s stance is that Willis is interfering with the 2024 elections and jeopardizes the rights of Trump, who leads all polls as the GOP candidate, and the other defendants named in the case.
In a letter sent out on Thursday (September 7), Willis did not hold back from addressing Jordan’s concerns and the aims of his investigation.
From AJC:
Willis also responded to allegations she is unfairly targeting Trump. She said his “status as a political candidate cannot make him legally immune from criminal prosecution.” She noted the special grand jury recommended charges in the case, and a separate jury issued indictments.
“Face this reality, Chairman Jordan: the select group of defendants who you fret over in my jurisdiction are like every other defendant, entitled to no worse or better treatment than any other American citizen,” she wrote.
Willis blasted Jordan’s request for information as illegal and improper.
“Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically,” she wrote.
Jordan’s office has yet to make a public reply or statement regarding Willis’ letter.
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Young Capone, a rapper with connections to Jermaine Dupri, has died after he was reported missing earlier this summer. Young Capone was reported missing in Chicago back in July but details of his death are still largely unknown.
The news regarding the passing of Young Capone, real name Rodriguez Smith, was delivered by his publicist, Aleesha Carter, on August 16.
From Carter’s IG:
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This is with a heavy heavy heart that I’m even posting this. We made magic when we strategically put out projects, always. Young Capone aka Dopeboy Ra aka Rara was one of my first Hip Hop/ Rap clients, and I can’t believe the news I just got of his unexpected passing! A friend…a client and just huge in East Atlanta. This is not the easiest post at all. Rest easy, RIP.
As reported by Billboard, Young Capone signed with Dupri’s So So Def imprint after making moves on the East Atlanta Hip-Hop scene in the early 2000s. Over the years, the rapper changed his name to Dopeboy Ra and worked alongside T.I. and the Hustle Gang crew on the 2017 album, We Want Smoke.
Carter also shared details of a candlelight vigil in honor of Young Capone to be held this Friday (August 25) in Decatur, Ga.
Dupri also posted an image of his former signee, sharing the track they performed together “I’m Hot” with Daz Dillinger in the background.
Young Capone was 35.
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Donald Trump and his legal issues hit new heights this week after he and over a dozen other individuals were indicted in the Georgia election interference case. The former president of the United States has until August 25 to turn himself in according to the charges announced by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
In the charges read on Monday (August 14), Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted in connection to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The 19 individuals named in the indictment face the charges under the state’s RICO act, essentially accusing Trump of running a criminal enterprise.
As seen in local outlet Fox 5 Atlanta, the indictment is almost 100 pages in length and lays out several dozen actions done by Trump and his allies. Among the charges was an attempt to sway Georgia’s secretary of state, who is a member of the Republican Party, to secure votes for Trump to win the state for its coveted electoral college votes.
Other criminal acts listed in the indictment include the harassment of an election worker while accusing them of voter fraud and pushing members of Georgia’s legislature to appoint electoral college electors who were in support of Trump. Adding to this, there were also details of a scheme to gain illegal access to data from a voting machine company.
DA Willis spoke to the press on Monday, laying out the terms of arrest warrants for the 19 defendants and the expectations of her office.
“After the indictment, as is the normal process in Georgia law, the grand jury issued arrest warrants for those who are charged. I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023,” Willis shared.
Also named in the indictment were Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Lynn Ellis, Ray Stallings Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Micah Tresher Still, Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, Trevian C. Kutti, Sidney Powell, Cathleen “Cathy” Latham, Scott Graham Hall, and Misty Hampton (Emily Misty Hayes). While the charges among them vary, they all were charged with one count of Violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, reactions to the latest indictment suffered by Donald Trump have been ongoing. We’ve got those reactions below.
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A healthcare clinic in Georgia will remain open after being on the brink of closing, thanks to a generous donation from Rick Ross.
On Monday (June 19), the Maybach Music Group mogul and rapper presented a check for $30,179 to the team of women running the Fayette C.A.R.E. Clinic in Fayette County, Georgia. The clinic enables poorer families to have access to the premium healthcare they need including affordable medication and doctors. “The patients that come to this clinic, all of them, their income level is 200% below the poverty level. The national poverty level,” said Geneva Weaver, the clinic’s executive director.
Ross is a resident of Fayette County and got word of the clinic’s potential closing through his lawyer, Steve Sadow. Before his donation, the C.A.R.E. Clinic had raised $19,000 with a goal of $50,000. “A clinic like this means a lot to me. I lost my father at an early age and I felt like one of the reasons I lost him so early was his lack of healthcare,” the artist said at the ceremony where the check was presented. “I look forward to continuing to help out as much as possible. I consider you family, friends, and of course, neighbors.”
Local network WSB-TV was present as Weaver thanked Ross along with other executives from the clinic. She said that the check was the largest donation from an individual donor that they’ve had since opening their doors in 2005. The “Aston Martin Music” rapper was humble about the donation on his social media profiles, opting to share information on Juneteenth with his fans along with photos from his recent car and bike show held on his sprawling estate. That event didn’t go over well with some in the county, as some attendees of that show trashed a plaza in South Fulton three miles away from his Promised Land estate. Local authorities believe they resorted to that behavior after not gaining entry to the event.
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The vaunted Jet magazine is back in action on newsstands, and the cover star for its return is the vegan cuisine entrepreneur Pinky Cole.
The shuttering of the iconic magazine in 2014 with its final printed issue was a blow to many after being an integral part of the culture for 63 years, being first published by John H. Johnson. But it has returned in print form, with the Slutty Vegan founder and CEO, Pinky Cole, gracing its cover.
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“I am so thrilled to be featured on the cover of Jet!” said Cole in a press statement. “Ever since I was a little girl, I grew up reading every inch of every issue that I could get my hands on. Now here I am on the cover and as their iconic ‘Beauty of the Week.’ This moment is so personal and special to me because in many ways, Jet helped shape who I wanted to become and who I am now.”
Cole has been lauded for her role in popularizing plant-based meals in the community, establishing her Slutty Vegan movement in 2018 with the opening of the first of her chain restaurants featuring vegan burgers and other comfort food. In the story accompanying the cover, Cole talks about her affect on the culture and the journey towards the building of her now $100 million dollar empire with chain locations in Alabama and New York in addition to Georgia. She also talks about her Pinky Cole Foundation, which is empowering people of color to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams.
The president of Jet, Daylon A. Goff, spoke about how the issue and collaboration with Cole stemmed from their first encounter at a concert. “I mentioned that I’m a fan of her movement, and she mentioned that she’s always dreamed of being in Jet,” he said in a press release. “We haven’t printed an issue in several years but we just saw Pinky and everything that she stands for as an opportunity to do something special. We’re really proud of this collector’s legacy issue and can’t wait for people to get their hands on it.”
Currently owned and operated by the Bridgeman family, the publication’s legacy is one that Goff deeply appreciates along with other readers. “Jet is like family, and people tell me frequently that they miss Jet coming to their house every week,” he said. The new issue is available from multiple retailers including Walmart, Target, Walgreens and CVS as well as from Slutty Vegan’s website.
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21 Savage received a great honor as the state of Georgia issued a proclamation officially giving him his own day while he was at a charity event.
On Wednesday (Dec. 21), the rapper was at the Wade Walker Family YMCA in Stone Mountain, Georgia for the fourth annual Grant-A-Wish event. The holiday function saw 100 local parents and their children attend, receiving gifts and snacks courtesy of the artist’s nonprofit Leading By Example Foundation. 21 Savage was surprised at the event by Georgia State Representative Billy Mitchell as part of a ceremony declaring Dec. 21 to be known as “21 Savage Day” going forward permanently in Georgia.
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During the proclamation ceremony, which also had 21 Savage’s mother Heather Carmillia Joseph and other family members in attendance, Mitchell detailed how the “Rich Flex” artist has been an ardent supporter of the community for years.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
“We have a very special honor. So special, it goes into the law books of Georgia,” Mitchell began. “It will be forever recognized in the annals of history of Georgia, and it starts out recognizing December 21, 2022 as 21 Savage Day… [We] will be proclaiming the date as 21 Savage Day in recognition of rapper Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph… and his extraordinary philanthropic efforts.”
The artist had recently created the “21 Savage Bank Account” campaign with the Get Schooled organization. The campaign was created to promote better financial literacy among young people by encouraging them to open bank accounts and save for college, which saw 21 scholarships of $1,000 each awarded to qualified students. The British-born star has also donated money to provide immigrants with legal counsel.
In addition, 21 Savage has also partnered with Chime through the Leading By Example Foundation last year to revitalize a basketball court at Parkway-Wabash Park in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. That event also saw the rapper take part in a panel discussion about embracing financial literacy and gaining the tools necessary for better money management. The honor adds to the accolades that the 21’s been receiving of late, thanks to Her Loss, his recent collaboration album with.