Did Gunna’s Plea Deal Keep Him Away From Hip-Hop? – Rolling Stone

the arrest of Young Thug, Gunna, and other YSL officials drew a unified response from the rap world at their RICO indictment last May. Fans and other musicians loudly proclaimed “Free Gunna.” But few in the rap world celebrated after his Alford Plea contract, which gave him a prison term and his five-year reprieve after his release in December. He was insulted as a “snitch” after the judicial hearing footage was leaked and the world saw him backing up the Fulton County prosecutor’s claim that YSL was a gang and that “YSL must end.” It’s been done.

YSL member and close collaborator Gunna taught him how to rap, along with rappers Polo G, Meek Mill, and Lil Baby, unfollowed him on Instagram. I believe Lil Dark threw a sly diss at Gunna by ‘telling’ him, in a snippet of a song from . His first Instagram post in 2023 was ridiculed by those who accused him of putting “YSL the label” in his caption after Alford’s petition declared YSL a gangster. Rap fans, few come close to the criminal lifestyle that fascinates them, relentlessly mock him as a “rat.”

For clarity, Gunna said he does not plan to testify against YSL’s accomplices. His Alford plea only applies to his case, and sources close to him have confirmed that he will not testify during the trial. But in a world of music rife with abusers, homophobes, anti-Semites, and “anti-‘cancellation culture'” advocates for all this, collaborating in any way requires someone from the scene. is the third rail to excommunicate.

His remarks, as followed by nasty comments, mean someone took a stand in court, gave a press conference, someone announced they shot them, someone tried to kill them in an interview or a song. It’s not in the same stratosphere as stating that. Everything happened in the history of hip-hop, but the nuances don’t seem to matter.

What’s happening to Gunna is a glimpse of the artist’s squeeze between the criminal justice system and the world of rap. His fame made him a newsworthy target for Fulton County DA Fanny Willis. Faniwillis implicated him in extortion charges heavily premised on his lyrics and appearance in the “Fox 5” music video. He became the living embodiment of “Wrap on Trial”. And to get out of that predicament, he made a deal to banish him from the community that once accepted him. Thrown into a metaphorical space with life-changing consequences behind. Many of his peers are greedy DAs of the same fate, and instead of gaining sympathy, he is coldly left behind.

The rap world has long neglected the snitch. Social media has stripped the original meaning of the terms “snitching” and “rutting.” Yet, as rapper Misonne points out, a snitch is initially defined as someone who gets involved in schemes with other people, then exposing their partners to higher authority to avoid the consequences of their actions on projects. From the street to the schoolyard, we can understand that everyone despises the appearance. But that definition doesn’t apply to Gunna, a genre-bending crooner whose catalog sticks to love songs and odes to high fashion. He never hinted that he had committed a crime or that he had “signed up” for The Street. His references in YSL’s indictment include stopping traffic, rapping lyrics, and wearing YSL chains, so by the same standards Big Meech held his members of his BMF entertainer may not be retained.

Artists such as Lil Baby, Meek, Durk and Polo G have been documented living lifestyles that reflect the harsh tone of their music. It was nice to see them stand in solidarity with their comrades against the judicial system, but I can understand they were provoked by the idea that someone made a statement that Gunna made .

Most troubling is that Gunna faces the heaviest disdain from fans who have no such lived experience. Another episode. Modern rap fandom consists of inciting violent rap beefs like sports rivalries, and now the average Nebraska suburban when faced with jail time. We condemn the artists who exposed their collaboration even though they could do the same. The confluence of enthusiasm for anti-blackness, capitalism, and the rise of social media has made rap fans all too comfortable disposing of the people who make our lives the soundtrack. With so much music being released so quickly, it’s easy, if not pleasant, to discard someone people once admired. But hopefully, no one currently enjoying himself at Gunna’s expense will face his predicament.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like much is happening to shake the public perception that Gunna is a traitor. Jay-Z rhymes on “A Week Ago.”Sadly, Gunna was mostly in jail because of his bar. The justice system’s war on rap is in full swing, and prosecutors are eagerly throwing lyrics, music videos, and social his media poses into the indictment to portray the accused as a criminal. And now, Gunna’s treatment shows prosecutors like Willis that even without a lengthy conviction, they can ruin an entertainer’s career in the courtroom of public opinion. not worth it. The criminal justice system is meant to dispose of black lives. We cannot help them do that.

The system that existed between the Black Death and dehumanization created a situation in which we were expected to accept martyrdom. Instead, he opposed unjust imprisonment and agreed to a harmless form of the legal system, so he I became Persona Non Grata. A lifestyle that is so little between worship and condemnation is not worth living. Instead of scrutinizing snitching permutations, our anger would be better served against the forces that drive the poor into the streets and their backward-looking rulebook.