American rapper Young Thug arrested on gang-related charges

[May 11, 2022]  (Reuters) - Police in Atlanta arrested rapper Young Thug, who won a Grammy for his co-written hit "This Is America" in 2019, on Monday on charges including participation in criminal street gang activity, police records showed.

The hip hop artist, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was also charged under Georgia state's "Conspiracy To Violate The Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act", according to Fulton County police records.

Representatives for Williams were not available for comment.

Williams is best known for his albums including "So Much Fun" and the 2021 hit "Punk", both of which topped the Billboard 200 charts. He also earned a Grammy nomination for his rap hit "The London", in 2020.

The New York Times reported that Williams was charged in a sweeping grand jury indictment that identified him and 27 other people as members of the same street gang. Some were charged with violent crimes including murder and attempted armed robbery.

The office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, known for investigating whether former President Donald Trump tried to influence the state's handling of the 2020 election, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Willis has identified gangs as a serious problem for Fulton County.

“I'd say 80% at minimum and probably more like 90% of all of the violence that we are seeing is stemming from the gang problem,” Willis told an ABC-affiliated TV network last week.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.] This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.]