Rapper Gunna freed from prison after taking plea deal in YSL Rico case

American rapper, Gunna has been released from prison after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in a sweeping gang indictment.

The case centres around the YSL label founded by rapper Young Thug and two others in 2016. Authorities claim that the label, to which Gunna is also signed, is a “criminal street gang”.

TMZ reported that the Grammy-nominated rapper entered a pre-negotiated plea known as an Alford plea Wednesday and was sentenced to 5 years, with one year commuted for the time he’s already served. The remaining 4 will be suspended, pending community service and other special conditions.

After taking the plea deal, Gunna released a statement claiming he didn’t think of YSL as a gang circa 2016 when his rap career began to pop off. He stated that he only focused on the entertainment aspect, even if it meant an exaggeration of the “Black urban” lifestyle.

He added;

“My focus of YSL was entertainment – rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community.”

Gunna also said he’s looking forward to giving back to his community and wants to youth to know that gangs and violence are gateways to their destruction.