Kevin Lilesco-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment, released a statement following the news that Atlanta rapper Young thug East to be released from prison following a guilty plea on Thursday (October 31).

Liles, who co-founded 300 Entertainment in 2012 and signed Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) to the label in 2014, released his statement Thursday evening, following the conclusion of Georgia’s longest criminal trial.

“Words cannot express the incredible happiness and relief I feel upon learning of Jeffery’s freedom,” Liles said. “There will be a time to discuss the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics and the use of bail jumping as a weapon against the accused, but right now everyone should feel nothing but joy that this incredible artist and this even better man can kiss his children, parents, brothers and sisters and other loved ones tonight.

“We must always remember that artists are not fictional characters,” he concluded. “They are, above all, human beings. God bless Jeffery and his family.

Thug, 33, has spent the past two years in detention, following his arrest in May 2022 with 27 other people from his label YSL Records as part of a 56-count indictment for violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The trial, which began in November 2023, was built around claims that YSL committed murders, carjackings, drug trafficking and numerous other crimes.

After days of closed-door negotiations with Fulton County prosecutors, Thug refused to accept a plea deal that would have resulted in his immediate release, ultimately opting for a non-negotiated guilty plea. On Thursday evening, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Thug to 15 years of probation with no time to serve.

Before his conviction, Rated thug the power and influence he holds in his community, telling the court that he takes “full responsibility for my crimes and my accusations.”

“I know what I bring and I know what I am,” he added. “I know the heights I’ve reached and I know the impact I have on people in the community.”