Young Thug to Remain Jailed as Gunna Walks Free After Guilty Plea
Thug #Thug
After pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge on Wednesday, Atlanta rapper Gunna is set to walk free. Young Thug, meanwhile, is still behind bars.
Gunna, whose name is Sergio Kitchens, saw his sentence commuted to time served, per local news outlet WSB-TV. He’d spent around a year in prison.
The embattled rapper subsequently issued a statement.
“While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” the statement said.
In May, Gunna and Young Thug were arrested along with 26 others after authorities alleged that “YSL is a violent criminal street gang that has committed multiple murders, shootings and car-jackings over the course of a decade,” according to WSB.
The news outlet identified YSL as Young Slime Life, an alleged criminal street gang, though that acronym is shared by Young Stoner Life, an Atlanta-based rap label founded by Young Thug in 2016.
Although Gunna has served one year, he was initially sentenced to five years behind bars. The remainder of his sentence—four years—has reportedly been suspended but is still “subject to special conditions including 500 hours of community service.”
Gunna’s statement explained that he’d agreed to take what’s known as an Alford plea, which essentially means that he’s maintaining his innocence while at the same time entering a formal admission of guilt.
The “Pushin P” rapper further claimed that in 2016, when he “became affiliated with YSL,” he did not view it as a “gang.” Rather, he said, he thought it was merely made up of a group of metro Atlanta people who shared artistic goals and had mutual interests.
“I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will,” Gunna continued in his statement. “I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that ‘gangs’ and violence only lead to destruction.”
After news of his upcoming release broke on Wednesday, Roddy Ricch expressed support for Gunna in a post on social media.
“Come On 🅿️@1GunnaGunna,” the rapper tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
Gunna appears on the Roddy Ricch track “Don’t I,” released on the latter’s December 2021 album Live Life Fast.
Newsweek reached out to the law firm of Steve Sadow, Gunna’s attorney, for additional comment.
Update 12/14/22, 5:22 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
Do you have a tip on an entertainment story that Newsweek should be covering? Let us know via entertainment@newsweek.com.
Related Articles
Start your unlimited Newsweek trial