Young Thug’s release from prison caps off the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. The Atlanta rapper was welcomed home by family and friends, one of whom was likely Gunna, who was accused of snitching on Thug in the YSL RICO case. He well deserves an apology from everyone given what happened in court yesterday.
In a surprising moment in court during Young Thug’s sentencing on Thursday (October 31), Thug’s attorney specifically asked that his client continue to cooperate with Gunna after he is released from prison. Thug must serve 15 years in prison, and while on probation, he is prohibited from contacting known gang members, including those named in the YSL indictment. The judge granted two exceptions to the YSL defendants: Gunna, whom Thug was contractually obligated to work with through Young Stoner Life Records, and Quantavious Grier (aka Unfoonk), Thug’s brother.
Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, called Gunna “an extraordinary artist” in court and noted that Thug and Gunna “often played music together.” Such kind words don’t seem to indicate a break in the friendly relationship between the two rappers. Now it’s safe to say that lawyers will say anything to help their clients get free, but this situation looks more like Thugger and Gunna have a good relationship with each other. However, in the past two years, the Internet has not necessarily thought so.
Internet court rules labeled Guna a snitch, as did several rappers through songs and subliminals. But did Gunna really expose what happened to Young Thug? The hip-hop world isn’t kind to rappers who cooperate with authorities. According to Guna, he didn’t. The YSL signee was released from prison in December 2022 after seven months in prison. He entered an Alford plea to one count of racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison, with one year to serve and the remainder suspended. Rhymer was originally arrested on May 9, 2022, along with Young Thug and 26 other associates of the YSL Group as part of a massive RICO case in Georgia.
After his release, Guna insisted that he had not made any statements or cooperated.
“While I agree to always be honest, I want to make it absolutely clear that I have not made any statements, given no interviews, cooperated, agreed to testify or be a witness for or against either side. The statement reads in part: “The case does not There is absolutely no intention to participate in any way in the trial process.
Guna’s attorney, Steve Sadow, also insisted his client “wasn’t snitching to get out of jail” and asked people to “please stop spreading lies.” During the trial, the mob never mentioned Guna or called him a snitch.
However, fans, critics and trolls continued to label Gunna a snitch, especially after a video shot without the rapper’s knowledge showed him in court facing a judge before being released After accepting a plea deal. Gunna agreed with the judge that “YSL is a music label and a gang.” Rappers like Maino have spoken out about Gunna saying it hurt Thug’s case.
Last December, Lil Baby said “F**k therats” while playing “Drip Too Hard,” his collaboration with Gunna, at a show. In January, fans believed 21 Savage was targeting Gunna in the song “Letter to My Brudda,” which appeared to be dedicated to Young Thug. One of the lyrics of the song is: “How do you go from co-defendant to co-defendant?”
Look for social media posts about Gunna from the past two years, and chances are you’ll see snitch accusations or rat emojis popping up in the comments. He certainly knew all the talk. In a cover story for XXL magazine’s Spring 2024 issue, Gunna responds to what everyone seems to be saying. “I do feel like everyone is misled,” he said. Gunna also said that his relationship with Thug is “the same,” noting, “It’s always love. Our relationship is our relationship.”
It seems Guna is telling the truth. Yesterday, fans seemed to have a change of heart after a video of a judge granting special conditions to Thug’s probation began circulating on social media. Seeing Thugger’s attorney praising Gunna and saying Thug needs to work with him again sparked thousands of comments in support of Gunna on platforms like The Shade Room. The consensus is: The hip-hop community owes Gunnar an apology.
“You owe Gunna an apology!! Wake up first, baby!” one user wrote in the comments section of The Shade Room post, which showed a video of Brian Steel specifically asking Thug to collaborate with Gunna. “The entire hip-hop industry owes Guna an extraordinary apology,” another posted, a sentiment that was shared tenfold on Instagram. This could be a case of paying your business for all the people calling Guna a rat.
Young Thug was freed less than 24 hours ago. While there probably won’t be a traditional “First Day Out” track considering what he can or can’t promote in music, releasing some sort of new song could be his next step. With the judge’s blessing, he and Gunna can appear on the track together in the future. What’s more, now that Thug is free, he can clear the air about his best friend, if Hip Hop truly owes Guna an apology.
Read more: Hip-hop reacts to young thug released from prison after wild trial
Take a look at the exceptions Young Thug’s lawyers asked for to work with Gunna, and how fans reacted to the special request below.
