Kevin Liles, the co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment, has issued a statement in the wake of news that Atlanta rapper Young Thug is to be released from prison following a guilty plea on Thursday (Oct. 31).
Liles, who co-founded 300 Entertainment in 2012 and signed Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) to the label in 2014, issued his statement late on Thursday following the completion of Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial.
“Words can’t express the incredible happiness and relief I feel to learn of Jeffery’s freedom,” Liles stated. “There will be a time to discuss the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics and the use of bond denial as a weapon against defendants, but in this moment everyone should feel nothing but joy that this amazing artist and even better man can hug his children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones tonight.
“We must always remember artists aren’t fictional characters,” he concluded. “They’re human beings first. God bless Jeffery and his family.”
Thug, 33, has spent the past two years in custody, following his arrest in May 2022 with 27 others from his YSL Records label as part of a 56-count indictment for violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) law. The trial, which began in November 2023, was built around claims that YSL had committed murders, carjackings, drug dealing and many other crimes.
Following days of closed-door negotiations with Fulton County prosecutors, Thug refused to take a plea deal that would have resulted in his immediate release, ultimately opting for a non-negotiated guilty plea. Late on Thursday, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Thug to 15 years probation with no time to be served.
Ahead of his sentencing, Thug noted the power and influence he holds in his community, telling the court he takes “full responsibility for my crimes and for my charges”.
“I know what I bring to the table and I know what I am,” he added. “I know the heights I’ve reached and I know the impact I’ve got on people in the community.”