Young Thug to Remain Jailed Until 2023 After Being Denied Bond in Racketeering Case

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Prosecutors described Young Thug as, “the top dog, the most dangerous man here, because he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty, he has others to do his business," Thursday as they moved to deny bond to the Atlanta-based rapper.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was one of 28 people associated with his YSL record imprint indicted on May 9 on conspiracy to violate the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and street gang charges.

Fulton County, Georgia, Judge Ural Glanvilld, handed the ruling down — which will keep Young Thug in jail until January of next year when he is expected to go on trial — in part because he was concerned with witness intimidation.

“I realize that Mr. Williams is presumed innocent,” Judge Glanville said. “However, in this particular circumstance there have been significant [claims] about Mr. Williams being a danger to the community.”

Prosecutor Don Geary told Judge Glanville during the hearing that Young Thug should not be allowed to “buy” his way out of jail and that other alleged gang members had admitted to prosecutors that they feared Young Thug and retaliation.

“They have stated uniformly that Mr. Williams is dangerous, they are afraid of him, that if they cross him he will kill them and their family,” Geary told Judge Glanville. “And they were very clear about that.”

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Lawyers for Young Thug tried to derail the prosecution's allegations delivered in the 88-page indictment that the record imprint he co-founded, YSL, is a violent street gang called Young Slime Life that has committed multiple murders, shootings and carjackings over roughly a decade presenting several witnesses of their own. 

Music executive Kevin Liles, the co-founder of 300 Entertainment, offered perhaps the most powerful testimony. He tearfully testified that Williams was “like a son” and said he was willing to put up his own wealth and business behind a bond for him. 

Kevin Liles spoke to his relationship with Young Thug, his character, and the relevance of his rap lyrics to the RICO gang case during Thug’s bond hearing

FULL: https://t.co/98Qtl8BknB pic.twitter.com/WpdvJjoQd6

— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) June 2, 2022

Liles added: "[Young Thug] is not just an artist — he’s an influencer, a person I think was put here to change the people around him” and a “contributing citizen to this world.” 

Williams who has been in custody since his arrest last month at his home in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta, joins labelmate, platinum rapper and mentee Gunna, real name Sergio Kitchens, as the two most notable YSL members to be denied bail after he was denied bond by a judge last week. 

Cam'ron Trades the Mic for Hip-Hop Home Makeover Show

Photo Credit: Paramount+ via YouTube screen capture

War, mass shootings, food shortages — 2022 has been sort of a bummer, and that's without even mentioning the "C" word.

We could all use a break right now or at the very least a distraction from the hard cold (or very hot depending on where you're at during this climate crisis) realities of the upcoming summer.

Cue Paramount+'s attempt to save the day with a home makeover show with a hip-hop twist.

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Premiering on the first day of summer (June 21), the streaming network's "Hip Hop My House" pairs Harlem rap icon Cam’ron, with interior designer Zeez Louize a production designer who has worked on campaigns for Disney Nature, Star Wars Episode VII, and Google Pixel.

Together, the dynamic duo will attempt to make one lucky superfan’s crib into a larger-than-life tribute to rap icons, past and present during a nine-episode run, and they won't be alone. Featured guests include Nelly, Tyga, Erica Banks, Migos and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie among others.

It remains to be seen if the series, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Anaïd Productions, will ever see the heights of fellow rapper Xzibit's iconic 2000s car makeover show "Pimp My Ride," but the premise is promising.

Watch the full trailer for the new show below.

Jada Pinkett Smith Finally Opens Up About Assault That Got Husband Will Banned From Oscars

Jada Pinkett Smith addresses her husband's assault of Chris Rock

on the latest episode of "Red Table Talk."

Over two months after actor Will Smith seemingly had a flashback to his Oscar-nominated role as Muhammad Ali, taking to the stage mid-segment to deliver a blow to host Chris Rock, his wife is finally speaking out about the incident, which was sparked by a joke about her hair.

Actress and singer Jada Pinkett Smith, best known for her roles in "The Matrix" series of movies and "Girls Trip", used the opening seconds of "Red Table Talk" to address the March 27 assault on the comedian by her husband.

"Now, about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity
to heal, talk this out, and reconcile," Pinkett Smith said, referring to the drama that played out after Smith took a bald joke by Rock as a character made famous by Demi Moore as a sleight toward his wife, who suffers from alopecia areata and was sporting a short shorn hairdo.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the #Oscars after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss while presenting the award for documentary feature.

Read more at https://t.co/0VT4GGR7UQ pic.twitter.com/DxKqENRfD3

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 28, 2022

She added, "The state of the world today, we need them both, and we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together."

The drama began when Rock said "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it," referring to the 1997 film in which Demi Moore sported a buzzcut, during his monologue. Smith walked briskly on the stage and delivered a hard slap that shook the comedian before returning to his seat and yelling, "Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth."

Celebrity-watchers had been waiting to hear from Pinkett Smith since the "slap seen around the world." Smith, who avoided charges and later returned to the stage to win his first Academy Award for his portrayal of tennis family patriarch Richard Williams in the movie "King Richard," was later banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.

Previously, Pinkett Smith had shared an Instagram post, many deduced was about the dustup, which said, "This is a season for healing and I’m here for it," but her comments to open the fifth season of her popular Facebook Watch advice show, hosted along with her daughter Willow and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, was her first time to address the matter directly.

Pinkett Smith followed up the statement with a show addressing alopecia. Her guests included the mother of 12-year-old, Rio Allred, a girl who was bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide just weeks before the melee at the Oscars, and a physician who explained the different types of the disorder.