Young Thug and Gunna, and YFN re the latest rappers to get hit with the dreaded RICO.
While the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was originally instituted in the early 70s to go after the Mafia, DAs have been increasingly using it to terrorize the streets.
On Math Hoffa's show, 21 Savage explained how rappers are particularly susceptible to RICOs.
“Nowadays, a n*gga will wake up, bro, and put a clip on Instagram, upload the video to YouTube, now a label at his door and they just gave him a million dollars,” 21 Savage said. “This n*gga 19 so naturally he wanna show his hood like, ‘Bro I made it!’ So now he back in his hood. Now he looking out for his hood, but it’s a catch-22 cause it’s like I can make it and forget about my hood, and then my hood going to try and kill and rob me, or I can look out for my hood, and now I can catch a RICO. ”
He added, “So it’s like a catch-22 ... It’s just like the time we living in, n*ggas blow up so fast. The n*ggas that they beefing with they mad cause he just got signed or whatever the reason is, and n*ggas know you still going to be right here at 19. Where else you going? That's why it's like that."
When you put it that way, Thugger didn't stand much of a chance.