Fans were left shocked to see a photo of Young Thug now fat, during a court appearance.
They were surprised to see how much weight the rapper had gained as he served time in jail, pending the start of a criminal trial.
Young Thug’s weight gain left a debate in the comment section if it was due to the quality of food he was eating in prison, or him being away from his regular lifestyle.
Young Thug’s ordeal in jail started after he, Gunna, and 26 others were charged in a 56-count indictment in Atlanta.
According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is the leader of Young Slime Life (YSL), which she says is a criminal street gang.
An 88-page grand-jury indictment alleged that YSL was a “criminal street gang” and gave 182 instances of the collective’s participating in gang activity and criminal conspiracies, citing lyrics, social media posts, and clothing or accessories with SLIME emblazoned on them as evidence. Atlanta’s Fulton County grand jury also charged some individuals with violent crimes that include attempted armed robbery and murder.
Young Thug denied the allegations, “I always use my music as a form of artistic expression”, he said in a prerecorded address screened at Hot 97’s Summer Jam in June of last year”. “I see now that Black artists and rappers don’t have that freedom. Everybody please sign the Protect Black Art petition and keep praying for us. I love you all”.
Many of those arrested, including Gunna, have been released after negotiating on plea deals.
Young Thug has been denied bail multiple times and remained behind bars together with seven other defendants standing trial, still without a jury selected.
The case has reverberated throughout the hip-hop community, where many believe that this trial was an instance of the US criminal justice system unfairly associating rappers with violent crimes through their art.