Matt Healy, the frontman of The 1975, put his support behind Young Thug during a recent concert. As the rapper faces a number of charges that could lead to years of incarceration, fans, and friends continue to show their support. During a performance, Healy began to go into a stream of consciousness where he began to advocate for Thugger’s freedom while using heavy auto-tune.
“Cultural references don’t make any sense without Young Thug. Don’t care if did anything with guns,” Matt Healy sang. “Freeeeeeee Thugger. Fuckin’ free Thugger! Do your research,” he added during the concert at The SSE Arena in Belfast, United Kingdom. Fans quickly applauded Healy, though it seems likely that there were just as many people who didn’t understand the reference.
Healy is far from the first person to advocate for Thug's freedom but perhaps, he's the first among pop rock bands. Throughout the past few months, executives like Kevin Liles to peers in hip-hop have shown their support for Young Thug. A few rappers have also released music dedicated to Thug, like Fredo Bang who released "Free Thug" last year.
Young Thug is among the 14 defendants that are on pace to face trial on RICO charges. The State’s Attorney accused Thug of being the leader of the YSL gang and hit him with eight charges. The rapper is facing one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced And Corrupt Organizations. Additionally, prosecutors hit him with participating in a street gang activity, three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, possession of a firearm while committing a felony and possession of a machine gun. Thug entered not guilty plea for each charge.
Thug and his co-defendants appeared in court several times since the beginning of the month for jury selection. Things have been rather eventful, from potential jurors skipping town for a vacation to a co-defendant allegedly handing Young Thug a pill in the courtroom. At this point, the judge suspects the trial could last anywhere from 6 to 9 months. This led the judge to excuse several jurors, who explained the hardships they’d faced so far from the case.