Gunna shares first photo since release from jail, calls for Young Thug to be freed

12 January, 2023

Gunna

Gunna, who was recently released from jail after pleading guilty to a racketeering charge last month, has posted a photo on social media marking his newfound freedom and calling for the release of others accused.

In the photo, shared to the rapper’s Instagram account yesterday (January 11), he can be seen sitting on a couch in a living room. “N****s acting like they switching to a side,” Gunna – real name Sergio Kitchens – captioned the post. “But it’s only one side.”

Kitchens hashtagged the post #YsltheLabel, referring to the YSL record label founded by Young Thug which prosecutors allege is a criminal street gang. He added #FreeThug&Yak, referring to both Young Thug – whose trial on racketeering and other charges began this month – and Yak Gotti, one of 28 people who were included in the sweeping indictment against YSL last year. “GUNNA BACC!!!!!” Kitchens concluded.

Kitchens and 27 others were charged in a sweeping Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictment in May. Kitchens – who, along with Young Thug and others, denied the allegations – remained incarcerated for over six months. He was denied bond multiple times, with the judge in the case arguing that he posed a threat to and could intimidate witnesses.

A little over a month ago, Kitchens plead guilty to the racketeering charge against him. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released after one year of the sentence was commuted to time served and the remaining sentence was suspended. The rapper will instead serve 500 hours of community service.

Upon his release, Kitchens’ lawyer noted that the rapper had taken an Alford plea, in which a defendant is able to assert their innocence while entering a formal admission of guilt, acknowledging that they would be likely to be found guilty should a case go to trial.

“While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have not made any statements, have not been interviewed, have not cooperated, have not agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely no intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” Kitchens said in a statement at the time.

During his court appearance in relation to his plea, Kitchens agreed that “YSL is a music label and a gang, and [he has] personal knowledge that members or associates of YSL have committed crimes in furtherance of the gang”.

He also agreed that the following statement, read by a prosecutor, was his: “I recognize, accept, and deeply regret that my talent and music indirectly furthered YSL the gang to the detriment of my community. YSL as a gang must end.”

In the statement he released following his release, Kitchens said that when he joined YSL in 2016, he didn’t consider it a gang, but “a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations”. He added that his “focus of YSL was entertainment”.

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