Week 2 of Grammy award-winning rapper's YSL trial gets underway

December 4th, 2023

Rapper Young Thug performs at Lollapalooza in 2021, wearing a pink coat and standing in front of a hazy red background. — Rapper Young Thug performs on Day 4 of the Lollapalooza Music Festival, Aug. 1, 2021, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

After several defendants have taken plea deals, the RICO trial for Grammy award-winning rapper Young Thug and five others is underway in Atlanta.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Willimas, is accused of being the ringleader of the gang Young Slime Life, also known as YSL.

Williams was arrested in May of 2020, and currently, he and 27 others were charged with several gang-related crimes. Williams claims YSL is not a gang and that it stands for Young Stoner Life, which is the name of the Atlanta rapper’s record label.

Now, two weeks into the trial, defense attorney David West returns to “Closer Look” to discuss the case, including possible privacy concerns after the faces of jurors were exposed during a live video stream.