Rap lyrics at issue in racketeering trial aimed at rapper Young Thug

ATLANTA - Opening statements in the long-awaited US gang conspiracy trial targeting rapper Young Thug are due next week -- and the prosecution controversially will be allowed to present rap lyrics as evidence.

Critics say the practice that's sparked controversy numerous times over past decades is a constitutional violation of expression that stifles creativity, taking slice-of-life lyrics out of context and criminalizing artists of colour.

This time around the defense had sought to exclude lyrics from evidence, saying the use of verses could unfairly influence the jury.

But Atlanta Judge Ural Glanville ruled that 17 sets of lyrics could be admitted, and that additional verses could be presented if prosecutors can "lay the foundation" of how they connect to alleged real-life crimes.

The American Civil Liberties Union in the past has deemed prosecuting raps a violation of free speech, including in the trial of Christopher Bassett, an aspiring Tennessee rapper who was convicted of murder.

The ACLU contended in that case that the state's admission of a music video as evidence in the trial violated the first amendment protecting free speech, saying that both images and lyrics fall under its safeguards.

Young Thug, the 32-year-old rapper born Jeffery Williams, was one of 28 alleged street gang members originally swept up in a May 2022 racketeering indictment. Many of those defendants have since taken plea deals or will be tried separately.

The accusations included myriad predicate offenses that support an overarching conspiracy charge, including murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing and theft.

Prosecutors say Young Thug's record label is a front for a crime ring, arguing that the defendants belong to a branch of the Bloods street gang identified as Young Slime Life, or YSL.

But defense lawyers insist YSL -- Young Stoner Life Records, a hip-hop and trap label that Young Thug founded in 2016 -- is simply a music label and vague association of artists, not a gang.