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The Blurry Line Between Rap Star and Crime Boss

As a racketeering trial begins in Atlanta, much of the focus is on the high-profile defendant, the best-selling rapper Young Thug. Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times, explains why, in a sense, hip-hop itself is on trial.
Duration
30m
Broadcast on
05 Dec 2023
Audio Format
other

As a racketeering trial begins in Atlanta, much of the focus is on the high-profile defendant, the best-selling rapper Young Thug.

Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times, explains why, in a sense, hip-hop itself is on trial.

Guest: Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

  • A judge ruled in November that at least 17 specific sets of lines from the Atlanta artist and his collaborators could be used by prosecutors in the racketeering trial of YSL, a chart-topping hip-hop label and collective.
  • Here’s what to know about the trial.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From New York Times, I'm Michael Bovarro. This is the Daily. As a racketeering trial begins in Atlanta, much of the focus is on the high-profile defendant, the best-selling rapper, Young Thug. But as my colleague, Joe Coscarelli, explains in a very real sense, hip-hop itself is on trial. It's Tuesday, December 5th. Joe, tell us about this trial that began last week in Atlanta. This is a crazy trial. You've probably heard of Fannie Willis. She's the district attorney in Fulton County, which covers a lot of Atlanta. And she's become a national figure over the last few months, largely because she brought a criminal racketeering case or a Rico, as it's more commonly known against President Trump and his allies, like Rudy Giuliani. Right, we've covered it extensively on the show. Right, and that's about their efforts in Georgia specifically to overturn the presidential election in 2020. She's using that same legal strategy against criminal street gangs. And one in particular, she says, is run by Young Thug or Jeffrey Williams, who's one of the most successful and influential rappers of his time. And that's what puts them in your world because you are a music writer at the times. Yes, I have been covering music here for 10 years. And because of that timing, that means I've covered a lot of rap music. We are in an era where hip hop is the most popular genre in the country and probably the world. And Atlanta is really its beating heart

Transcription truncated.

As a racketeering trial begins in Atlanta, much of the focus is on the high-profile defendant, the best-selling rapper Young Thug. Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times, explains why, in a sense, hip-hop itself is on trial.