Atlanta is giving us another viral moment from the ongoing YSL RICO trial.
On Thursday, June 6, Atlanta state prosecutors examined several key witnesses in their racketeering case against Young Thug and his co-defendants. Those hitting the stand included Ira Singleton, a former Hertz rental car employee who lives in Atlanta. Prosecutors questioned Singleton about a 2014 Infiniti Q50 Sedan that Thug allegedly used in the murder of “rival gang member” Donovon Thomas Jr.
Although the discussion was quite heavy, there was a moment in Singleton’s testimony that caused the courtroom to break out in laughter. It occurred during cross-examination when Thug’s attorney Keith Adams asked Singleton if he had known Thug, whose legal name Jeffery Lamar Williams, before Thomas was killed in 2015.
“Did you know Jeffery Williams?” Adams asked the witness. “Ever met him?”
“Personally? No,” Singleton said, before clarifying that he only knew Williams by his rap alias. “Wait, hold on. Can I go back?… I didn’t know Jeffrey Williams by that name. I knew Young Thug, yes.”
“You knew who that entity was?” Adams responded. “You never met him personally?”
Singleton reiterated that he had never met Thug but was familiar with his work.
“‘Lifestyle’ had just dropped,” he said, referring to the rapper’s 2014 hit. “Everybody knew that song. Banger.”
“And you liked it, right?” Adams said, prompting Singleton to nod and smile.
The exchange led to an objection, which the judge ultimately overruled. Laughter was then heard throughout the courtroom.
A similar incident occurred last month when another state witness praised Thug’s music. The incident went down on May 8 after prosecutors played Thugger’s 2015 track “Halftime” for the court. State attorneys alleged the explicit lyrics proved the rapper had gang affiliations, while the defense argued it was simply a form of self-expression that was protected under the First Amendment.
Adams mentioned the track while cross-examining Tyrone Dennis, a former investigator with the Atlanta Police Department.
“Did you pay attention to some of the lyrics?” the attorney asked.
“I knew the lyrics myself,” Dennis responded. “I was actually singing along. I was”
“Because they’re catchy, right?” Adams said, to which Dennis responded, “Very.”
You can revisit that viral moment below.
Thug’s RICO trial began in November 2023, more than a year after he and dozens of YSL affiliates were arrested on racketeering charges.
