Culture – 2 days ago

Photo Credit: Hulu

ABC News Studios and Hulu have partnered for documentary Rap Trap: Hip-Hop On Trial, about Young Thug and Gunna’s criminal cases.

The criminal cases of Young Thug and Gunna are coming to Hulu this month. On Thursday (February 16), ABC News Studios and Hulu announced documentary Rap Trap: Hip-Hop on Trial, which chronicles the rise of both Atlanta rappers, also following their 2022 arrest and indictment. The special airs on Wednesday, February 23.

In 2022, the arrest and indictment of Gunna and Young Thug stunned the hip-hop world.

To some, their lyrics were evidence of potential wrongdoing, but others believe the case spotlights a decades-long trend of criminalizing Black art.
#RapTrap premieres Feb. 23 on @Hulu. pic.twitter.com/kg7D8jniX2

— ABC News Studios (@abcnewsstudios) February 16, 2023

Along with Thug and Gunna, the hour-long documentary takes an in-depth look into the case of McKinley Phipps Jr., a New Orleans rapper who spent 21 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Also interviewed in Rap Trap are artists will.i.am, Jerrika Karlae, Fat Joe and Killer Mike in addition to journalist Jewel Wicker, 300 Entertainment co-founder Kevin Liles, Michael Eric Dyson and Rap on Trial co-author Erik Nielson.

Here’s the documentary’s synopsis: The criminal case against Young Thug and Gunna, two of the biggest names in hip-hop, reignited a conversation around the use of lyrics in the courtroom and sparked a movement to protect art.

Thug and Gunna’s 2022 indictment also included 26 other people alleged to be part of or affiliated with music collective YSL, or Young Stoner Life. With 28 in total, the indictment charged the group with conspiracy to violate Atlanta’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Gunna was released from jail in December after pleading guilty, although some accused him of “snitching.” Denied bond last summer, Thug’s trial is still pending.

Watch the Rap Trap trailer below