Rapper Young Thug is a free man. Here are things to know about his plea.

ATLANTA -- Rapper Young Thug is simply a free man after pleading guilty to gang, supplier and weapon charges.

About 2 ½ years aft he was arrested connected nan charges successful a sprawling pack and racketeering indictment, Young Thug was released from custody Thursday evening. It was a singular improvement successful a proceedings that's dragged connected and been plagued by problems.

Jury action astatine nan Fulton County courthouse successful Atlanta began successful January 2023 and took astir 10 months. Prosecutors had called dozens of witnesses since opening statements past November successful nan proceedings of six defendants.

Here are immoderate things to cognize astir nan plea:

An Atlanta-based creator whose fixed sanction is Jeffery Lamar Williams, Young Thug is known for his eccentric style, mumble rap and squeaky, high-pitched vocals. He changeable to fame pinch breakout hits including “Stoner” and “Best Friend” and co-wrote nan deed “This is America” pinch Childish Gambino, which became nan first hip-hop way to win nan opus of nan year Grammy successful 2019.

Young Thug has collaborated pinch different apical artists including Drake, Chris Brown, T.I. and Travis Scott. Elton John called moving pinch Young Thug an “amazing moment” aft signaling nan opus “Always Love You” featuring Nicki Minaj and Gunna.

He collapsed pinch nan hyper-masculine norms of nan hip-hop scene, wearing a dress connected nan screen of his 2016 mixtape “Jeffery” and saying there’s nary specified point arsenic gender arsenic portion of a Calvin Klein campaign.

Young Thug, 33, grew up successful a suburban Atlanta lodging task that was marred by crime and violence.

He was primitively indicted and arrested May, 9, 2022, and much charges were added successful a consequent indictment that August. The 2nd indictment accused Young Thug and 27 others of colluding to break Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known arsenic RICO. The rapper was besides accused of information successful criminal thoroughfare pack activity, arsenic good arsenic supplier and weapon charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and 2 different group co-founded a convulsive criminal thoroughfare pack successful 2012 called Young Slime Life, aliases YSL, which they opportunity is associated pinch nan nationalist Bloods gang. The indictment says Young Thug “made YSL a well-known sanction by referring to it successful his songs and connected societal media.”

Prosecutors painted him arsenic a pack leader known arsenic King Slime, personification who calls nan shots and directs others to prosecute successful criminal activity.

Prosecutors had been negotiating pinch Young Thug's lawyers to effort to scope a woody that would extremity his information successful nan long-running trial. But those efforts stalled erstwhile nan 2 sides disagreed connected conditions.

Speaking to reporters aft nan sentencing, Young Thug lawyer Brian Steel declined to talk nan negotiations. But he said prosecutors were pushing for “outrageous” conditions: “They would fto him retired of custody, but they would person a tether astir him truthful tight that it's unconscionable.”

Instead, nan rapper went guardant pinch a perchance risky non-negotiated aliases “blind” plea, meaning he was entering pleas without having a woody successful spot pinch prosecutors.

He pleaded blameworthy to 1 pack charge, 3 supplier charges and 2 weapon charges. He besides entered a nary title plea to different pack complaint and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning that he decided not to title those charges but could beryllium punished arsenic if he had pleaded guilty.

No — arsenic agelong arsenic he abides by nan conditions of his sentence.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker gave him a full condemnation of 40 years. The first 5 years were to beryllium served successful prison, but that was commuted to clip served. Then he has 15 years connected probation. Finally, a “backloaded” 20 years successful situation will beryllium commuted to clip served if he complies pinch each of nan conditions of his probation. If he doesn't complete his probation successfully, he will person to service those 20 years successful prison.

Prosecutors wanted Young Thug sentenced to 45 years, pinch 25 years successful situation and nan remaining 20 connected probation. The charges against him carried a imaginable maximum condemnation of 120 years successful prison, charismatic Adriane Love said.

Steel had asked nan judge for a 45-year condemnation pinch 5 successful situation commuted to clip served and 40 years connected probation.

He apologized to his family, his managers, nan courtroom deputies and “really everybody that sewage thing to do pinch this situation” for nan clip his lawsuit ate up.

“I dream that you let maine to spell location coming and conscionable spot successful maine to conscionable do nan correct thing,” he told nan judge, promising her that he'd ne'er beryllium successful this type of business again.

“I’ve learned from my mistakes, you know. I travel from thing and I’ve made thing and I didn’t return afloat advantage of it. I’m sorry,” he said.

He told her he understands his effect connected group and said he besides has tried to springiness back, putting millions of dollars backmost into his community.

He must enactment distant from nan metro Atlanta area — arsenic defined by nan census — for nan first 10 years of his probation, isolated from for weddings, funerals, graduations aliases a superior unwellness of an contiguous family member. He tin get 24 hours earlier nan arena and must time off wrong 48 hours after.

But he must besides return to nan Atlanta area 4 times during each twelvemonth of his probation to make an anti-gang, anti-gun unit position astatine a people school, mediate schoolhouse aliases precocious school, aliases astatine an statement for illustration nan Boys & Girls Club. Those visits tin count toward nan 100 hours of organization work he must complete during each twelvemonth of his probation.

He besides cannot knowingly person interaction pinch immoderate personnel of a criminal thoroughfare gang. The judge said that includes different group named successful nan indictment, pinch nan objection of his relative and nan rapper Gunna, pinch whom he has contractual obligations.

He cannot participate successful criminal thoroughfare pack activity aliases beforehand immoderate gang, including done manus signs.

He besides can't interaction nan victims successful nan lawsuit aliases their families, whitethorn not ain a gun, must not usage narcotics different than those prescribed to him, must taxable to random supplier tests, and must let searches of himself and his spot and electronics.

The proceedings has been agelong and was marred by problems.

Before nan proceedings began, prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred complete whether nan defendants' rap lyrics should beryllium allowed arsenic evidence. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, nan original judge, allowed prosecutors to present definite lyrics arsenic agelong arsenic they could show that nan lyrics were related to crimes that Young Thug and others were accused of committing. Defense attorneys had asked nan judge to exclude them, arguing nan lyrics are constitutionally protected reside and would beryllium unfairly prejudicial.

Just weeks aft prosecutors began presenting evidence, nan proceedings had to beryllium paused because 1 of Young Thug's codefendants was stabbed successful jail.

In June, Steel told Glanville successful unfastened tribunal that he had learned of a gathering successful nan judge’s chambers betwixt nan judge, prosecutors and a prosecution witness. When Steel refused to show him really he'd learned of nan meeting, Glanville found him successful contempt and ordered him to walk 10 weekends successful jail. That condemnation was paused while Steel appealed, and nan Georgia Supreme Court precocious overturned nan contempt ruling.

Glanville was removed from nan case nan pursuing period aft defense attorneys sought his recusal, citing nan gathering nan judge held pinch prosecutors and a authorities witness. That caused different hold until Whitaker was appointed to take over.

Whitaker successful September grew disappointment pinch Love, nan lead prosecutor, saying nan lawsuit was being presented successful a “haphazard” measurement and that she couldn’t show “whether each of this is purposeful aliases this is conscionable really mediocre lawyering.”

Three co-defendants had already pleaded guilty this week aft reaching deals pinch prosecutors. That leaves conscionable 2 different co-defendants connected trial.

Nine group charged successful nan indictment, including Gunna, accepted plea deals earlier nan proceedings began. Twelve others are to beryllium tried separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against 1 suspect aft he was convicted of execution successful an unrelated case.