Photo: Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Last night, for the first time in over 900 days, Young Thug didn’t sleep in a concrete cell. The Atlanta rapper, born Jeffery Williams, was released from prison on October 31, after plead guilty to a number of charges In the long-term RICO trial against his label, YSL. (He pleaded no contest, or no contest, to the central RICO charge and a gang leadership charge, and his attorneys continue to dispute the assertion that YSL is a criminal street gang.) Thug has was sentenced to five years in prison, commuted to time served, allowing him to be released after his non-negotiated plea. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he left the Fulton County Jail the night after his plea and sentencing. In court, his lawyer, Brian Steel, said Thug was looking forward to spending time with his family and taking care of his health.

Thug was also sentenced to 15 years of probation, with multiple sentences. He received a “delayed” 20-year prison sentence following his probation, which will be commuted if he meets the conditions of his probation. During sentencing, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker reminded Thug that the deferred sentence “can be served in custody and will be served in custody if you fail to successfully complete your probation.” The thug must also pay a fine of $40,000.

The terms of Thug’s probation allow him to continue his music career under certain stipulations. Speaking to the media outside of court, his lawyers declined to address specific aspects of his probation. “Either way, there comes a point, if a person is convicted, where we walk out of the courtroom and now what happens to that person is entirely up to them,” said Keith Adams, who also represents Thug. “He has the ability, the motivation, to move forward and do whatever it takes to put this behind him, and we are confident he will do that.” Here’s what we know about what’s next for Young Thug after his plea, based on his probation and what he said in court.

As part of his probation, Young Thug must leave the metro Atlanta area – where the crimes alleged in the indictment took place – within 48 hours of yesterday’s sentencing and remain there for the next ten years. He will be allowed to return for family weddings, funerals and graduations. (At Steel’s request, Whitaker added family medical emergencies.) The judge also asks him to return to give four anti-gang and violence presentations a year to Atlanta children. Presentations may take place at schools or other organizations and may include a benefit concert; they will count toward the community service requirements of his probation.

Thug initially proposed serving the first three years of his probation under house arrest, which Whitaker did not demand. She said the state “does not appear particularly concerned that Mr. Williams, if on the street, would pose a danger to society,” given that it had previously proposed a commuted sentence to purge. During his presentation, Steel noted that Thug also had residences and recording studios in California, so he would likely live there during his absence from Atlanta. Thug will be able to travel and he will be allowed to keep his passport.

According to Steel, the sticking point in the plea negotiations that led to Thug’s non-negotiated plea was what the state wanted Thug to say about YSL. Steel testified in court that Thug told him: “I’m breaking these conditions and I admit that I’m the leader and that I’m involved in the murder and that my music is inciting everyone to do it.” Thug therefore pled nolo to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and one count of leadership of criminal street gang activity, over the objections of the State. Also known as no contest, these pleas function like guilty pleas without an admission of guilt. This means that Thug has not admitted to being a gang leader, as Steel continued to point out in his presentation. “He doesn’t need the Cleveland Avenue drug deals for $15,” Steel said. “He doesn’t need the shootings.” (Thug pleaded guilty to one count of criminal street gang activity. Whitaker said she “would not allow” his non-compliance plea to the leadership charge “if you didn’t plead guilty to at least one of them.” Nothing in the plea or probation now requires Thug to testify about YSL.

The thug cannot have contact with known gang members, including those named in YSL’s indictment, while on probation. Whitaker made exceptions for two YSL defendants: Unfoonk, who is Thug’s brother, and Gunna, who Thug is contractually obligated to work with through Young Stoner Life Records. Unfoonk, born Quantavious Grier, is currently serving a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence for gun possession while on probation, after previously pleading guilty in the YSL case. But Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, is currently on probation after pleading in December 2022. (He entered an Alford plea, in which he pleaded guilty for his sake while maintaining his innocence.) Gunna has started releasing music again since then, dropping the album. A gift and a curse on YSL Records in 2023. Steel called Gunna a “phenomenal artist” in court, noting that Thug and Gunna “frequently play music together.” Thug will be able to continue working with Gunna “as long as they are contractually obligated to do so,” according to the terms of his probation.

Each year of his probation, Thug will be required to complete 100 hours of community service, including required presentations. But as part of his suggested sentence, Steel noted that Thug wanted to contribute to the Atlanta community in additional ways. “He’s going to do it anyway, Your Honor, but we put it into the sentence,” Steel said. This includes an annual benefit concert, with proceeds going to a nonprofit organization, and a commitment of $100,000 for three years to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to fund an illegal gun buyback program. “You know, I don’t mind doing stuff like free shows, and I’ve always done that,” Thug later told the court, noting that he had raised money for single parents and patients affected by breast cancer thanks to benefit shows. “I have reinvested millions of dollars in my community, for real,” he added. Whitaker did not include these suggested conditions in Thug’s sentence and probation, but encouraged him to do them anyway.

As is typical during probation, Thug will not be allowed to use drugs or be near firearms. He will have to sign a Fourth Amendment waiver and be subject to random checks. However, Whitaker made an exception for Thug to be near members of his security team, who legally carry guns.

Thug had already released an album behind bars – 2023 Business is business – and there are signs he will continue his music career outside of prison. However, it will be subject to further review. Thug’s probation does not allow him to promote gang activities, make gang signs or use gang-related language. So far, it is unclear whether YSL qualifies as a gang under these terms, given that is the question at the heart of the still-ongoing lawsuit. For example, the State argued that the word slat, which Thug used in his music, is gang speak, meaning “Slime Love All the Time”. Could Thug get in trouble if he says slat on a future song? What if he raps an old song with the word slat? And although it would be a radical decision, there is even a precedent for rappers whose lyrics are approved while on probation.

Steel never stopped opposing given the rap lyrics in the casearguing that they are fictional and do not actually condone violence. However, Thug himself told Judge Whitaker that he hoped to stop rapping about violence in the future. “I understand, you know, rap lyrics, I understand how it can be distorted, I understand what it can do to people’s minds,” he said in court. “I understand all of that and I promise you I’m changing that 100 percent.” He said the trial helped him realize his influence as a rapper. “I came to my senses; I understand what I mean to this world,” he said. Thug added that he has “more rap topics” now as well. “I’m older, I’m grown up now,” he said.

Before passing sentence, Whitaker asked Thug to continue to be conscious of his role as a rapper. “Whether it is false or not, it has a huge impact on children and young people who think: It’s cool. This is what I want to do. Look at him, he’s a millionaire. I can do this being, you know, a gangster on the streets“, she said. “And that’s not true.” Whitaker acknowledged that Thug was “talented” while encouraging him to be “more of the solution and less of the problem.” “If you choose to continue rapping, you have to try to use your influence to let kids know that it’s not the right path,” she said.