Social media is buzzing over a now sold-out designer wolf sweater donned by Young Thug at his trial in Georgia - days after prosecutors described him as the head of a wolf pack.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is in court in Fulton County, Georgia, fighting gang and racketeering charges in connection with what DA Fani Willis and prosecutors say is a violent street gang he co-founded called Young Slime Life (YSL). He and 27 defendants other are facing RICO charges and have each been individually charged with other violations. Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On Monday, Mr Williams arrived at court wearing an Amiri sweater emblazoned with a wolf, according to WSBTV. The sweater retails for $1,090 and was on sale for $595 as of Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, the sweater appeared to be sold out on the Amiri website.
Viewers sounding off online were quick to question whether the wolf image was meant as a jab at prosecutors, who mentioned the animal in opening statements last week.
Prosecutor Adriane Love began her opening on 27 November by quoting The Jungle Book: “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”
She used the quote to argue the state’s main point that Mr Williams is the ringleader of YSL, a “criminal street gang”. The defence has argued that YSL is simply a record label.
“Young Thug is wearing a cartoon wolf on his shirt. Is he intentionally making fun of the state’s opening statement, which compared YSL to ‘a pack of wolves’ and called Thug the ‘leader of the pack,’” one X user wrote.
Another user wrote, “When you have expensive threads, you might as well risk a conviction to show the drip.”
Another remarked that similar to the Gwyneth Paltrow trial, “I tune into the #YoungThug trial in part for the fashion.”
Despite speculation, Mr Williams’ girlfriend, Mariah the Scientist, told WSBTV that his decision to wear the sweater was a “pure coincidence.” She also told the outlet that she had purchased the sweater weeks before the trial began.
Brian Steel, Mr Williams’ attorney, also discussed his client’s love of fashion. He said his style was inspired in part by rapper Lil Wayne’s style. Mr Steel also claimed that “YSL” stemmed from the logo for designer brand Yves Saint Laurent.
Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. The trial is continuing into its second week as the prosecution calls up witnesses.
