Judge Ural Glanville denied bond for rapper Gunna at the Fulton County Court today (July 7). Sergio G. Kitchens, popularly known as Gunna, was taken into custody back in May after turning himself in.
Young Thug’s high-profile case is one that the hip-hop community will never forget – especially not after the surprise statement he gave from jail during this year’s annual Summer Jam concert. In the voice message, the rapper asked the crowd to support a petition to protect Black artists: “I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and now I see that Black artists and rappers don’t have that, you know, freedom. Everybody please sign the ‘Protect Black Art’ petition and keep praying for us. I love you all.” This is regarding the fact that prosecutors have been analyzing Young Thug’s song lyrics and social media postings as evidence for his case.
Like Gunna, Young Thug was arrested on May 9 on charges of conspiring to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. He was also suspected of being the mastermind of the street gang YSL (which stands for “Young Slime Life”). Prosecutors say that the alleged offenses that Young Thug, Gunna, and other gang members committed date as far back as 2013.
Although Gunna has been proclaiming his innocence, and even virtually appeared at the court earlier today, the superior court judge allied themselves with the prosecutors and ultimately denied the request after there was talk about witnesses getting threatened. According to a New York Times article, prosecutors revealed that witnesses said, “‘that they fear not only for their own lives but for their families’ lives should they testify.’”
Unless the judges reconsider their decision (which is a very low probability), both Young Thug and Gunna must remain behind bars until they are released for their trial on January 9, 2023.