Last week, two of Atlanta's biggest rappers Young Thug and Gunna were arrested under the RICO Act. The DA charged their crew YSL as a gang and the indictment read more like a lyrical analysis than a police report. If this sounds familiar, it's because these same tactics were used in cases we explored with DJ Drama, Bobby Shmurda, and Mac Phipps. In this bonu ... Show More
May 2022
May 10th - Young Thug and Gunna Indicted on Gang Charges & New Music Updates From Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift
Young Thug was one of 28 people indicted in Georgia on conspiracy to violate the state’s RICO act and street gang charges, according to jail records. Gunna was also named in the indictment on conspiring to violate the RICO act. Plus, Dua Lipa says she’s “half-written” her third s ... Show More
4m 4s
Dec 2023
Should rap lyrics be allowed as evidence in criminal trials?
Grammy award-winning rapper Young Thug is currently on trial for gang-related charges in Atlanta, US. Prosecutors claim that the rap label he founded, Young Stoner Life (YSL) Records, is a front for an organised crime syndicate responsible for ‘75-80% of violent crime’ in the cit ... Show More
15m 16s
Mar 2021
BONUS: Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom
In this episode from NPR's Louder Than A Riot, New Orleans rapper Mac Phipps speaks exclusively to NPR about the power dynamics at play throughout his clemency hearing, and hosts Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael examine how his hip-hop career continues to affect his image in t ... Show More
47m 56s
Jun 2019
Bryan McCann, "The Mark of Criminality: Rhetoric, Race, and Gangsta Rap in the War-on-Crime Era" (U Alabama Press, 2017)
On this episode, Dr. Lee Pierce (she/they)--Asst. Prof. of Communication at SUNY Geneseo--interviews Bryan McCann (he/his)--Associate Professor of Communication at Louisiana State University--on a dope new work of cultural criticism The Mark of Criminality: Rhetoric, Race, and Ga ... Show More
1h 2m
May 2024
Episode 571: Criminal Dean Thornton releases rap song about Drogheda feud
A Drogheda feud member, convicted of a brutal abduction and torture, has launched his rap career with a highly produced music video about crime and carnage on the streets of his home town.
Criminal Dean Thornton is hoping to find fame with his song about feuding, guns and gangste ... Show More
17m 53s