Young Thug Rico Trial Day 2: Pushing P = Pushing Positivity & Thug = Truly Humble Under God

The second day of the trial began with Brian Steel, the lawyer representing Young Thug, striving to debunk the State’s portrayal of the rapper as a villain. In the courtroom, Steel depicted Thug as a man who reveres God and contributes significantly to his community. Steel also offered positive interpretations for terms linked to Thug. He stated that YSL is an acronym for “Young Successful Life”, while Thug is an abbreviation for “Truly Humble Under God”. According to Steel, “Pushin P”, the title of a 2022 track by Gunna featuring Thug and Future, is a symbol for “Pushing Positivity”. Steel’s initial remarks also included a dismissal of song lyrics as incidental proof. He portrayed Thug as a performer who merely narrates unlawful deeds in his music, but does not engage in them. The State intends to utilize lyrics from 17 songs that feature Thug and his co-defendants as evidence against the group. The dispute between Young Thug and YFN Lucci was another issue raised by Thug’s lawyer. Young Thug has been alleged to have authorized YSL members to assassinate Lucci in prison. Lucci was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail in March of the previous year, where he is currently awaiting his own RICO case trial. Steel minimized the conflict between the rappers and suggested that Lucci’s feud with Thug originates from Lucci’s lesser success and his desire to associate himself with a more renowned artist. Young Thug, along with six co-defendants, is on trial for charges that include violation of Georgia’s RICO Act. The prosecution alleges that Young Thug’s record label, YSL, serves as a cover for a violent street gang, which has been involved in numerous violent crimes over the past few years, including conspiracy to commit murder, armed robbery, and participation in criminal street gang activity.