As we move forward into these summer months and everyone gets hyped about being outside, Young Thug, Gunna, and over two dozen of their alleged associates are under a different sort of pressure. The RICO case stacked against the two rappers could spell the end of their era if things take a turn, and if prosecutors have their way, both rappers will remain incarcerated for the remainder of their lives.
In Hip Hop, the "Free Gunna" and "Free Thug" movements haven't ceased, but we recently learned that prosecutors planned on using the YSL rappers' lyrics against them.
Authorities allege that Thugger, specifically, hinted at or detailed his crimes in his songs. During a hearing, a prosecutor read off lyrics that they claim were a direct mention of a shooting attack made on YFN Lucci's mother. Rappers have come out in defense of their incarcerated peers, including Jim Jones and Maino who spoke about lyrics being used as evidence.
“When you rappin', you rappin' from a perspective," Maino said while he and Jones were on The Breakfast Club. "I say all kind of crazy sh*t sometimes when I rap... I say, 'Yo, woke up in the shade room, shorty took me home, I licked her p*ssy in her kid's room.’ I never did it."
"It’s just a bar. It shouldn’t be literal," he added. “It shouldn’t be taken out of context as it being so literal. Some of these are just bars. We sayin' things that come from things we might have seen."
Jones mentioned that Hollywood directors, screenwriters, and stars aren't prosecuted over their work, and neither should rappers. Check out their appearance on The Breakfast Club below.