A Young Thug docuseries is in the works from Rolling Stone
The multimedia series will follow the Atlanta rapper's rise to fame and recent arrest
Back in May, Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug was arrested and indicted on RICO charges in Atlanta, along with fellow rapper Gunna and 28 others connected to his rap collective and label YSL or “Young Slime Life.” Now, the Punk rapper’s life is getting the documentary treatment with a series and podcast, reports Variety.
Hailing from Rolling Stone Films and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, the two projects will chronicle “the rise and fall and increasing legal problems of Young Thug, aka Jeffrey Williams, and his label, YSL,” writes Variety. In the indictment, the Georgia court claims Williams as being a founding member of YSL, which they allege is a “criminal street gang.”
The dual project is set against “the larger Atlanta hip-hop boom, and the ongoing RICO case against YSL that accuses Young Thug and 27 other alleged collaborators of crimes ranging from racketeering to murder. The projects seek to separate the fact from the fiction of the criminal charges against YSL members, while also interrogating the controversial practice of prosecutors using rap lyrics as evidence of criminal activity. The result will be a wild, enthralling story of music, money, crime and hip-hop on trial.”
With the projects only in the beginning stages, Variety says that neither the docuseries nor the podcast have titles yet. The search for directors is also ongoing, with no one being established for either.
Executive producing both projects are Gus Wenner (CEO of Rolling Stone) and Jason Fine, with Stacey Offman and Richard Perello on as executive producers on the docuseries. Sruthi Pinnamaneni is heading the audio podcast series.
While the ongoing nature of Williams’ trail may seem a tad difficult for planning a docuseries, the producers of both projects tell Variety that capturing the progression in “real time” is what they always planned on doing. Just earlier this month, the rapper was denied bail by a Georgia judge and remains in jail with fellow rapper Gunna as they await their trail scheduled for January 9, 2023.