With Young Thug facing charges related to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, plus the allegation about him supposedly being kept in “dungeonlike” jail conditions, the rapper remains on the minds of many concerned fans.
As Blavity previously reported, the situation unfolded last month after Young Thug and 27 other Young Slime Life (YSL) affiliates were hit with a sweeping indictment regarding alleged criminal gang activity.
Young Thug has been denied bond once again in YSL RICO case. Judge says he’s a danger to community and witnesses. He will remain behind bars until his trial on January 9th, 2023. pic.twitter.com/UBF53uPVCZ
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 2, 2022
While Young Thug and other rap stars like Gunna remain in custody, a YSL artist named Jerrika Karlae has provided a highly-anticipated update on how “King Slime” is holding up behind bars.
Notably, Karlae is the first woman to be part of YSL, and she was previously involved in a romantic relationship with Young Thug.
During her recent sit-down with The Progress Report podcast, Karlae spoke on some misconceptions people have about YSL, saying that it’s a record label and by no means a criminal enterprise.
“YSL is truly a family. People work hard, and every single artist that’s under the label is a true artist. We’re in the studio 80% of our lives,” she noted.
“A lot of the things that people think YSL is involved in is just whatever,” Karlae continued. “We truly are a label, and I watched it grow from the ground up.”
Karlae went on to share her perspective on why people are so quick to view YSL as a gang rather than a record label, saying that “When something grows to be its own multitude of something, anybody can attach to it.”
By this, Karlae means that people with ill-intent will rep YSL while engaging in illegal activities, and this ultimately makes the whole collective look bad.
On another note, Karlae also addressed Young Thug’s mental health, saying that the “Relationship” artist isn’t letting the ordeal keep him down.
“He’s doing good, actually, and he’s in great spirits,” Karlae said. “I feel like this is just a moment for him to learn a lot of lessons.”
“Honestly, he was giving me advice,” she added. “He was like, ‘Keep your head in the game, wake up every day and put a smile on your face and be thankful.'”
She later added that she could see him exhibiting personal growth and a commitment to his faith while behind bars.
“That man really know the Bible inside out. Nobody would know that about him cause ain’t nobody talking about that. People come around him and don’t see how he talk about God.”
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Staying on the subject of Young Thug, Karlae addressed D.L. Hughley‘s past comment about the situation, as he tweeted, “If you call yourself [Thug] and [Gunna] what you probably gonna do is go to jail!”
“This is the industry that we in. If you want to be appealing to a certain market, sometimes you gon’ have a certain name. This is the world that we’re in,” she said.
“He made a good example when he went out and bailed [30] inmates out of prison with the name Young Thug, ’cause your name can be Young Thug and you can still do good deeds,” Karlae continued, referencing a 2021 initiative based in Atlanta.
