Drake recently released the official music video for the latest "Honestly, Nevermind" single, "Sticky," in which he supports Young Thug and Gunna in their ongoing legal battles against recent gang-related charges.
Bring them girls to the stage/'Cause somebody's getting paid/Free Big Slime out of the cage is how Drake raps about Gunna and Thug in the song, who are actually Sergio Kitchens and Jeffery Williams, respectively. One of Williams' other monikers, Big Slime, refers to his 2020 song with Chris Brown of the same name and makes reference to his record company, YSL Records, which is heavily involved in his legal dramas.
When Drake raps the relevant line in the Theo Skudra-directed music video for "Sticky," the words "FREE YSL" flash on the screen in large, animated green text.
Watch the following video:
Williams and Kitchens were both taken into custody in May; the former on May 9 and the latter on May 11. Both men were charged with participating in illegal street gang activity. YSL (short for Young Stoner Life), a purported street gang, was the subject of a 28-person grand jury indictment that included their names. Williams had initially faced two charges, but later in May, was pinned with an additional seven.
Both rappers have denied any wrongdoing. Williams’ lawyer asserted that he had “committed no crime whatsoever” – and later hit out at his “dungeon like” prison conditions – while Kitchens said the indictment was “intensely problematic”. Williams was denied bond at the start of June, while Kitchens has been denied bond twice—first in May, then again in July.
Kitchens shared a written statement regarding his side of the case on June 14—his birthday—two days after Williams made a remote appearance on a New York radio station. In July, Williams appeared on the Killer Mike track "RUN", the video for which also boasted imagery supportive of the rapper’s plight.
Meanwhile, Drake released his seventh album, "Honestly, Nevermind," back in June. The album received a three-star review from NME’s Kyann-Sian Williams, who described the album as “an unexpected elevation from the bland trap”. “The house sound has at least given him the creative boost that his recording career has been crying out for recently,” Williams added.
Drake was due to perform at his Young Money reunion show with Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne on Monday (August 1), but postponed it after testing positive for COVID-19. He said the gig will now be rescheduled “to the soonest date possible”.
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