Despite how some old school hip hop heads maintain purist perspectives while refusing to consider mumble rappers as relevant forces within the subculture, I actually enjoy the music of Young Thug (Jeffery Lamar Williams), of whom one source states:
Since May 2022, Williams has faced mounting legal troubles. He has been held without bail in the Fulton County Jail on remand due to being charged with violating the Georgia RICO Act, as well as a total of 56 counts of illegal substance trafficking or firearm possession charges. Williams was arrested alongside 27 other members of YSL [Young Stoner Life] on gang-related charges. He has been denied bail four times.
Regarding the Georgia RICO Act, a separate source adds:
The Georgia act was based on the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970, but the Georgia act was written to be broader. While the federal act requires an extended pattern of crime by multiple individuals through a criminal enterprise, under the Georgia act only one individual may constitute a criminal enterprise. Additionally, the enterprise as a whole must commit only two interrelated crimes towards a common goal. The Georgia act also has a wider range of underlying crimes than the federal act.
Essentially, the federal RICO Act that was purportedly designed to take down the Mafia was broadened in Georgia. This is the Act now reportedly being used in relation to former president Donald Trump.
Aside from obvious relation to racketeering, the word racket may be defined as confused clattering noise, as well as a fraudulent scheme, enterprise, or activity. Old school hip hop heads may maintain that Young Thug’s music relates to clattering noise. I disagree.
Also, legal authorities likely consider the rapper’s alleged behavior as representing a criminal enterprise, thus the racketeering charge. From what I’ve seen of the YSL legal abomination, I have concerns.
Personally, Georgia’s RICO Act appears as though it’s an inconsistently applied measure for giving the state oppressive power. According to one source:
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hasn’t just used Georgia’s RICO law to prosecute Donald Trump. Schoolteachers and rappers have also been charged, and the state has used the law to go after protesters.
With expansive prosecutorial privilege regarding an Act originally used to take down the Mob, one imagines the potential for widespread misuse of a modified measure presumably giving government authorities the ability to harm people in the name of alleged justice. So, of what importance is this matter to me?
I practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a psychotherapeutic modality partly based on Stoicism. One of the four virtues of Stoicism is justice. Likewise, my undergraduate degree was focused on justice administration.
Additionally, when serving in the Marine Corps, my job was military police. As well, and despite the fact that I’m no longer activistically-minded, I once identified as a social justice warrior. Moreover, on more than one occasion, I’ve been detained in incarcerated settings under questionable circumstances.
Therefore, I have a rich history of concern for justice. Now, I see the racket taking place in Georgia’s courts with Young Thug and Trump, and I wonder at what point actual justice – and not performative shenanigans – will result.
Currently, it appears as though oppression is occurring for the entire world to see. In any case, I recognize that I have no control or influence over these matters. Thus, I use unconditional acceptance to keep from self-disturbing in regard to what is ostensibly oppressive overreach.
Perhaps you, too, have witnessed or experienced government maltreatment. Although such experience is annoying, frustrating, and disappointing, it doesn’t have to be devastating. If you’d like to know more about how not to upset yourself in the face of oppression, I’m here to help.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost old school hip hop REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Darnell, T. (2024, June 12). YSL judge determined to learn who leaked conversation to Young Thug’s lawyer. Gray Media Group, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/06/12/ysl-judge-determined-learn-who-leaked-conversation-young-thugs-lawyer/
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Loe, M. (2023, August 16). Yes, the RICO Act was created to prosecute the Mafia and other mobsters. Tegna Inc. Retrieved from https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/crime-verify/rico-act-created-take-down-mafia-mob-trump-georgia-indictment/536-4a927894-e793-414d-b4b5-2577e2ebdac6
McKinley Jr., J. C. (2023, September 20). Trump and allies in Georgia face RICO charges. Here’s what that means. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/trump-georgia-rico-charges.html
Scott, M. (2023, September 25). Georgia attorney general brings RICO indictments against 61 activists. Atlanta Community Press Collective. Retrieved from https://atlpresscollective.com/2023/09/05/georgia-attorney-general-brings-rico-indictments-against-61-activists/
Simama, J. (2024, February 20). The misuse of a powerful prosecutorial weapon. Governing. Retrieved from https://www.governing.com/policy/the-misuse-of-a-powerful-prosecutorial-weapon
Strauss, V. (2023, August 15). Trump prosecutor helped send Atlanta teachers to jail in cheating scandal. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/15/trump-prosecutor-helped-send-atlanta-teachers-jail/
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Wikipedia. (n.d.). YSL Records. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YSL_Records
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