An attorney for the rapper Young Thug came up with a brand new definition for the term “thug” during his client’s trial on Tuesday.
Brian Steel, an attorney for the rapper, said his nickname stands for “Truly Humbled Under God,” in a statement telling the courtroom that his client has not been involved in criminal activity. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is standing trial related to racketeering charges handed down by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, CNN reported.
“Now some of you read books about TUPAC and what it meant to be thug life. Thug life: The hate you give little infants, f’s everyone. Meaning discrimination and racism hurts all of us. We teach that to our kids,” Steel said. “That was not what thug meant to Jeffery. What is meant and means to Jeffery — something very personal. It was his pact — if he could ever make it as a musical artist and help his family, himself and his many others out of this endless cycle of hopelessness — he would be Truly Humbled Under God, that’s what thug means.”
Williams is accused of conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute and participating in criminal street gang activity, according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Steel accused prosecutors of misrepresenting evidence and denied that a Grammy-winning artist would participate in criminal gang activity, according to CNN. (RELATED: Sunny Hostin Bashes Trump Prosecutor Fani Willis For Handing Down RICO Charges Against Rapper)
The 32-year-old artist is among six defendants being charged under the RICO Act, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges, ABC 7 noted.
Williams is facing the same charge as former President Donald Trump, whom Willis has accused of violating the RICO Act in an indictment in August. The indictment charged Trump and the other defendants with violating Georgia’s RICO Act, Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree and other crimes.