Katie Ring (3:10)

Are the lyrics a reflection of real life, or should they be considered artistic expression? This has been a question at the center of a lot of criminal cases throughout the years. For most of hip hop's history, the music frequently relies on lived experiences but also on crafted Personas. Artists reference crime and some argue lyrics can glorify a life of crime. But for the most part, those stories lived in albums, not indictments. Lyrics were understood as expression, exaggerated, symbolic, performative, a way of describing environment and emotion rather than documenting acts. That assumption held for decades. Even as hip hop became more visible in American culture, courts generally treated lyrics like other forms of artistic speech, admitting them only in narrow circumstances, if at all. But in the late 2000s and early 2010s, something began to change. As hip hop's popularity surged, prosecutors increasingly started pointing to rap lyrics in criminal cases. As evidence, verses were introduced to suggest motive, intent and confession. Notebooks, recordings and later social media posts were read aloud to juries as literal reflections of real world conduct. Lower courts continued to allow lyrics into evidence, often under broad, relevant standards and disproportionately in cases involving hip hop artists. Critics argued the practice blurred the line between performance and confession and reflected racial and cultural bias in how speech was interpreted. That tension between art and evidence, expression and intent now sits at the center of a growing legal reckoning over how rap is treated in the criminal justice system. Our first case begins in Paterson, New Jersey, a city where opportunity has historically been uneven and where generations of families have learned to make do with what's available. For many residents, leaving is an aspiration, not an expectation. Willie Jr. Maxwell II, better known as Fetty Wap, was born there in 1991. From the start, his life was shaped by physical and economic limitations. He was born with congenital glaucoma, a condition that required multiple surgeries, and eventually left him blind in his left eye. As a child, it meant adapting early. As an adult, it became a visible marker of his identity. Music, however, was never a dream of his Unlike many artists who begin recording as teenagers, Fetty Wap did not seriously pursue music until his early 20s. He wasn't immersed in a local rap scene or industry pipeline. He didn't come up battling or chasing studio time, friends later said he was encouraged into recording because of his melodic instincts and a voice that didn't sound like anyone else around him. In 2014, almost casually, he recorded and uploaded a song called Trap Queen to the music streaming platform SoundCloud. There was no label or rollout strategy, just a song released into a digital ecosystem where most uploads disappear with no notice. But this one didn't. DJs in New Jersey and New York began playing it in clubs. Blogs picked it up and radio stations followed. By early 2015, Trap Queen was impossible to avoid. It became a national hit. It climbed the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number two. But what followed was even more unusual. Instead of fading, Fetty Wap stacked back to back hits 6, 7, 9, Again My Way, all charting simultaneously. By mid-2015, Fetty Wap had four songs in the Billboard top 10 at the same time, a rare feat that placed him among the most dominant artists in the country. He signed with 300 Entertainment and his self titled album debuted at number one. But success at that speed creates pressure just as fast for the public. Fetty Wap's songs were catchy and not taken literally, but prosecutors would argue something different. According to court filings, between 2019 and 2020, Fetty Wap became involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy operating across multiple states. Prosecutors alleged the organization moved significant quantities of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine from the west coast to the East Coast. In total, the group transported, distributed and sold more than 100 kilograms of addictive drugs. The operation, they said, relied on mailed shipments sent through the U.S. postal Service and vehicles equipped with hidden compartments designed to evade detection. Initially, the investigation was under wraps, but on October 28, 2021, federal agents arrested Fetty Wap at the Citi Field venue in New York during the Rolling Loud Music festival where he was supposed to perform that day. Five other people involved in the drug trafficking operation, including a former New Jersey corrections officer, were also indicted and arrested. Fetty Wap was charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, leading people to think maybe his song Trap Queen wasn't just a catchy tune, michael J. Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office, wrote in a statement, quote, the fact that we arrested a chart topping rap artist and a corrections officer as part of the conspiracy illustrates just how vile the drug trade has become. For his fans, the arrest felt abrupt because leading up to their arrest, Fetty Wap had mostly stayed out of the spotlight. He was released on bond as the case moved forward through the federal system, but prosecutors later alleged that he violated the conditions of his release. On August 8, 2022, Fetty Wap was arrested again, this time for allegedly threatening to kill someone on FaceTime while brandishing a gun. According to court documents, investigators obtained a video call in which Fetty Wap threatened an unnamed person on Facet, pointed a gun at them and said quote Imma kill you and everybody with you and repeatedly said quote I'm going to kill you. His bond was revoked and he was taken back into custody. That same month, Fetty Wap made a decision that would define how the case ended. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and there was no trial. But despite his guilty plea, prosecutors still used his lyrics against him. The lyrics were not used to prove his guilt, as he had already pleaded guilty, but were used to justify a longer prison sentence. Prosecutors argued the court needed to send a message to young people. The sentencing filing highlighted the 2014 hit trap queen, which includes lyrics referencing drug dealing specifically we just said a gold talking matching Lambos at 56 gram 5100 grams though which prosecutors interpreted as selling drug quantities. On May 24, 2023, a federal judge sentenced him to six years in prison followed by a five year term of supervised release. The sentence was delivered without spectacle, a routine federal proceeding that marked the end of the case in court, even if its impact would last much longer. In early 2026, just over halfway through his six year sentence, he was transferred to home confinement under the Bureau of Prison Supervision. The reasons for the early release were not publicly detailed, but it marked a transition from incarceration to restricted freedom. Since his release, Fetty Wap has said that he plans to give back through community initiatives and foundations supporting at risk youth through education, access, specialized skills and vision care. In his statement, he continued by saying, quote, I'm committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most. While Fetty Wap's case unfolded quietly, our next case unraveled. Four years in public view.

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Katie Ring (11:59)

See terms Georgia's Racketeer, Influence and Corrupt Organizations act, commonly known as RICO, was designed to prosecute criminal enterprises whose activity could not be captured by a single charge or a single incident. It allows prosecutors to present a pattern of behavior built over years and to argue that individuals are responsible not just for what they did themselves, but for what an organization did as a whole. For decades, RICO was used primarily against the Mafia and traditional criminal groups, but gradually its scope expanded. By the 2010s, Georgia prosecutors were applying RICO to street gangs, loosely organized networks and cases where association itself became part of the argument. Jeffrey Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, grew up In Atlanta's Zone 3, one of the city's most economically challenged areas. He was raised largely by his mother in a crowded household where instability and police presence were a constant backdrop. Williams became interested in music early on as a means to escape his current reality and to get out. He began recording music in his late teens, and by 2010 he was releasing early tracks independently and circulating them locally, often recording with minimal resources and without formal industry support. Between 2011 and 2013, Williams drew attention within Atlanta's underground rap scene. His early releases led to increased collaboration and visibility, including connections with producers and artists already established in the city. By 2014, his music began reaching a broader audience. That year, he released 1017 Thugs, a mixtape backed by Gucci Mane's 1017 Records imprint, which marked his first significant industry exposure. As his career grew, Williams founded a label called Young Stoner Life, often shortened to ysl. To fans and artists, it functioned as a creative home, a place to collaborate, release music and build careers. To prosecutors, it would become something else. In May of 2022, the Fulton County's District Attorney's Office unsealed a sweeping indictment charging Young Thug and more than two dozen co defendants under Georgia's RICO statute. In the indictment, prosecutors claimed that Young Stoner Life functioned as a criminal street gang, allegedly under the name Young Slime Life, and that its members engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity over a period of years. The alleged predicate offenses included murder and attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking and multiple firearm violations, including possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by convicted felon. Prosecutors also cited violations of Georgia's controlled substances law, theft related offenses, and the use of weapons or communication devices by incarcerated individuals. Together, the state argued, these acts demonstrated an ongoing enterprise forming the basis of the RICO charge. Young Thug was arrested on May 9, 2022, and repeatedly denied bond. He remained incarcerated as the prosecution prepared for trial. The preparations took longer than expected, and selecting a jury took nearly a year. Potential jurors were questioned extensively about their views on rap music, gang allegations and whether lyrics could be treated as factual statements. Many were dismissed others were excused. The process alone became a preview of the complexity ahead. When the trial finally began In November of 2023, it quickly became one of the longest criminal trials in Georgia history. Courtroom proceedings were frequently interrupted by delays, judges recused themselves, defense attorneys raised concerns about prosecutorial conduct, and arguments over admissibility dominated entire days of testimony. At the center of the trial was a question that extended far beyond Atlanta could rap lyrics be used as evidence of criminal intent? Prosecutors argued that they could and that certain lyrics and videos were not abstract art but admissions and signals of affiliation. Defense attorneys argued that the state was criminalizing creativity and treating performance as confession. The U.S. supreme Court has never really ruled directly on whether rap lyrics should be used as evidence in a criminal trial, but earlier decisions shaped the debate. In Dawson's v. Delaware in 1992, the court warned against using beliefs or expression solely to influence jurors. And in Alonis vs. The United States in 2015, the court held that for something to be considered a threat, there must be proof of intent reinforcing that expressive speech cannot be treated as criminal without meeting specific standards. Outside of the courtroom, the case drew national attention. Artists spoke out, civil liberties organizations warned of precedent, and lawmakers decided whether artistic expression should be protected from use in criminal prosecutions. Inside the courtroom, Young Thug remained in custody. Months passed, witnesses testified and evidence was introduced, but resolution remained distant. By October of 2024, nearly two and a half years had passed since his arrest and the trial was still ongoing. Then suddenly, the case shifted. Before the jury reached a verdict, Young Thug entered a non negotiated guilty plea. The plea did not involve an agreement on sentencing terms. Instead, it allowed the judge to impose a sentence based on the plea alone. The sentence was unusual. Young thug received a 40 year sentence structured in a way that reflected both punishment and release. Five years were commuted to time served, 15 years were imposed as probation, and 20 years were suspended to be served only if probation conditions were violated. After more than two years in jail, he walked out of the courthouse that day. The conditions of his release were strict. They included limits on travel, associations and activities. Any violation could trigger the suspended prison term. The case ended without a jury verdict. There was no definitive ruling on whether lyrics could be used as evidence, no appellate decision setting precedent, no formal resolution to the broader questions the case raised. For Young Thug, the costs had already been paid in time. But for the public, the case left behind unresolved tension between art and law, expression and interpretation. Our next case would push that sense of prolonged uncertainty even further, stretching years longer and leaving a young artist suspended in legal limbo with no end in sight.

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Peyton Moreland (19:45)

are you ready to dive into the unknown? Join me, Peyton Moreland on Into the Dark, the true crime podcast from Ono Media with a hint of horror and mystery. Each week I dive into a different case, breaking down the facts and pondering the age old question, why do people do what they do now? Sometimes the answer isn't so clear, and that's why I'll also explore conspiracy theories, hauntings and all things spooky. From the Green River Killer to the Mothman incident, we will unravel all of the questions that keep us up at night. So don't miss out. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform. New episodes drop every Wednesday into the Dark, where true crime meets the eerie

Vanessa (20:30)

unknown

Katie Ring (20:34)

Jamel Maurice Demons, known professionally as YNW Melly, was born in 1999 and raised by his mom in Florida. From a young age, he was surrounded by financial instability and crime. But by his mid teens, music had become both an outlet and a sense of direction. Melly began recording as a teenager, developing a melodic style that blurred the line between singing and raping, and he gained traction quickly online. By March 2017, at the age of 17, Melly released a song titled Murder on My Mind. The track was fictional, but it became one of the most recognizable songs and later complicated how the public interpreted his legal case. At the center of Melly's early career was a loose collective known as ynw. Short for Young New Wave, it was not a formal record label or an organization with a hierarchy. It was more of a shared identity among friends who grew up together, recorded music together, and moved together socially. The YNW prefix appeared in stage names, song credits, and social media posts by its members. Two of those members were Anthony YNW Sakchaser Williams and Christopher YNW Juvy Thomas Jr. Who were Central figures in the same Young New Wave circle as Melly, connected by years of friendship and shared work. By 2018, Melly's career was gaining momentum. His debut mixtape drew national attention and his streaming numbers rose rapidly. He was only 19 at the time, but his name was circulating far beyond Florida. But on the morning of October 26, 2018, Williams and Thomas were shot and killed. The victims were transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. It was initially thought to be a drive by shooting, but after further investigation, that would change because investigators began identifying inconsistencies. Ballistics evidence suggested shots had been fired from inside of the vehicle rather than from outside, and the trajectory did not align with a drive by. Detectives believe that the scene was just staged to look like one. In February of 2019, just months after the killings, Jamel Demins was arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty if he were convicted, but the case was dragged out. Pretrial motions stretched on for years. Evidence was challenged and legal arguments accumulated. The COVID 19 pandemic also further delayed proceedings. Throughout that time, Melly remained incarcerated. His first trial did not begin until June of 2023, nearly five years after the shootings. Prosecutors presented forensic evidence and argued that Melly was responsible for the killings. The defense challenged the state's interpretation of the evidence and emphasized the absence of a murder weapon. After days of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The judge declared a mistrial and Melly remained in custody as prosecutors announced their intent to retry the case. What followed was another period of delay, driven by evidentiary disputes, appeals, and controversy involving prosecutors and investigators that was connected to the first trial. Additional allegations involving witness interference were litigated and later dismissed. One of the lead prosecutors was disqualified from the case, and key evidence rulings were challenged on appeal. Each development extended the timeline, with proceedings now extending into 2026 and beyond. If that date holds, nearly nine years will have passed between the night Williams and Thomas were killed and the moment a second jury hears the case. During that entire period, Melly has remained incarcerated, the case has gradually shifted in public understanding away from the specifics of one night and toward the cumulative weight of delay. A defendant who entered the system as a teenager has spent nearly his entire adult life waiting for a jury to decide what happened. Our next case moves away from state court delays and into the federal system, where timelines are tighter, charges are more narrow, and the consequences are usually more severe. Dirk Devonte Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, was born in 1992 and raised in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, a largely underserved community with frequent police presence. His father was also incarcerated for much of his childhood, leaving Banks to be raised largely by his mother. Music became a stabilizing force early on, offering both structure and a way to process the environment around him. By the late 2010s and early 2020s, Lil Durk had established himself as one of the most commercially successful rappers of his generation. He released multiple charting albums, collaborated widely, and became a central figure in contemporary hip hop. He also founded only the Family, known as otf, a collective that functioned as both a creative label and a personal network of artists and associates connected by long standing relationships. But in federal filings, prosecutors would later frame it differently, arguing that some members of the network were involved in coordinated criminal activity. The incident at the center of the federal Prosecution occurred on August 19, 2022, in Los Angeles. That evening, Ceva Robinson, the cousin of the rapper Quando Rondo, was shot and killed near the Beverly Center. Robinson was 24 years old and according to federal court documents, she was not the intended target. Prosecutors alleged the shooting was part of a murder for hire conspiracy aimed at Quite Juando Rondo, and that Robinson was killed instead. The government contends the plot was motivated by retaliation tied to prior violence within overlapping rap circles, including the 2020 killing of Dirk's close friend and collaborator King Von, a Chicago drill rapper. Federal investigators spent more than two years building the case. Rather than focusing on a single moment, they assembled travel records, financial data, communications and movements across multiple states. The investigation emphasized coordination and logistics consistent with how federal conspiracy cases are typically constructed. In October of 2024, Lil Durk was arrested on federal charges and taken into custody. He was later transferred to Los Angeles, where the case is being prosecuted in the Central District of California, and entered a plea of not guilty. A federal judge ordered him detained without bond while she proceeds. Since then, the litigation has moved through pretrial motions and evidentiary disputes rather than public hearings. Dirk's legal team has challenged the government's theory of the case, objecting to the characterization of OTF and contesting any effort to introduce music lyrics or branding as evidence of intent. Prosecutors have responded by emphasizing that their case is built on records and and coordination rather than artistic output. They have also confirmed that they are not seeking the death penalty, though the charges carry the potential for lengthy prison sentences if proven. As of now, the case remains in its pre trial phase. Hearings have extended into 2026, and trial scheduling continues to be shaped by ongoing motions and discovery. As of now, Lil Durk's trial is set to begin in April, Dirks remaining in federal custody while those proceedings continue. Unlike the earlier cases in this episode, this one has not yet reached a procedural turning point. Its outcome will depend on how the court resolves the government's conspiracy theory and whether prosecution can substantiate their claims at trial. For now, the case remains active, developing through filings rather than testimony, and moving forward largely outside of the public view. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel, iTwatchPod. Your support means everything.

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Katie Ring (29:00)

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Vanessa (29:29)

hi, it's Vanessa. If you're drawn to true crime stories about disappearances, check out the new Crime House original the Final Hours, hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Listen to and follow the Final hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday.