Following the rapper’s arrest yesterday for making violent threats to a mall security guard, an even more serious charge may now be facing Young Thug. Mike Petchenik of Atlanta’s WSB-TV has reported via twitter that Young Thug (real name Jeffrey Williams) has been indicted for conspiracy to commit murder. This refers to an incident last April where rapper Lil Wayne’s tour bus was shot at multiple times, and the indictment lists Young Thug as a culprit, along with Birdman and a third individual. An arrest on suspect Jimmy Winfrey was made in early June, whom police say was the triggerman.
While neither Young Thug or Birdman have faced charges relating to this incident yet, prosecutors are allegedly looking into their notarized involvement with the Blood Street Gang. They are also looking into his music video for “Halftime” for evidence.
Lil Wayne’s beef with Young Thug and Birdman has escalated in recent months. Lil Wayne’s imprint Young Money is a subsidiary of Birdman’s Cash Money Records, and Lil Wayne has been adamant about trying to remove himself from the label. Last January he sued Birdman for $51 million saying that he’s been a victim of contract violations, and withheld money for his delayed album Tha Carter V. Conflict between the two artists has been common-place, as earlier this week Birdman threw his drink at Lil Wayne during a concert, and Young Thug drew ire from Lil Wayne when he had announced that he was going to call his new mixtape Tha Carter VI (ultimately re-named The Barter VI).
Although no one was actually harmed during the aforementioned shooting, this continues a disturbing trend in hip-hop music where verbal beefs have escalated into physical violence. Perhaps the most famous hip-hop beef was the feud rappers 2pac and The Notorious B.I.G. had in the mid-90s, that escalated the East Coast and West Coast rivalry, and left both rappers killed (and their murders still unsolved). Following Young Thug’s previous arrest this week for an unrelated incident, the rapper’s upcoming major-label album Hy!£UN35 will undoubtedly be approached with greater interest due to these recent controversies.