Final 2 defendants in YSL racketeering trial acquitted of murder

Driving the news: Rapper Yak Gotti, whose real name is Deamonte Kendrick, was acquitted of all charges, including murder, according to the AJC,

• Codefendant Shannon Stillwell was also acquitted of all but one charge — possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Stillwell to 10 years, but gave him credit for time served, so he'll serve the rest of that time on probation, the AJC reports.

What they're saying: The court portion of the case took nearly two years, and the investigation into the YSL organization's activities lasted the better part of a decade, the AJC reports.

• After it was over, a Fulton County District Attorney's Office spokesperson told Axios that "we always respect the verdict of a jury."

The other side: Defense attorney Doug Weinstein, who represented Kendrick, told Axios he's relieved that his client will soon be able to return home.

• However, Kendrick does face charges stemming from an altercation he was involved in while incarcerated at Fulton County Jail. Weinstein said he hopes to get those resolved in the coming weeks. Also, Kendrick was stabbed Sunday at the Fulton County Jail's annex in Union City, suffering minor injuries, just two days before the verdict setting him free.
• "There's a lightness about him that I haven't seen in the last couple of years," he said. "The weight of the concern of possibly him having to spend the rest of his life in prison is gone. He can get back to all the stuff he loves, his family and his music."

Catch up quick: The jury's decision come more than a month after rapper Young Thug, the most high-profile defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to participating in criminal street gang activity, possession of drugs and other charges.

• The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was sentenced to time served and probation, and banished from metro Atlanta for 10 years.

Flashback: Williams and 27 other codefendants were originally charged in a 65-count indictment in May 2022.

• Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' office alleged that Williams co-founded Young Slime Life as a street gang in southeast Atlanta's Cleveland Avenue area in 2012 and later promoted the organization in songs and on social media.
• Williams maintained YSL was only a music label.

Between the lines: Willis' prosecution was centered on the state's racketeering or "RICO" law targeting a "pattern of racketeering activity," something she used successfully to prosecute educators in the 2015 Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.

The big picture: Willis' decision also sparked debate about whether prosecutors can use rap lyrics as evidence.

• Rappers including Jay-Z and Meek Mill have called for limits on how prosecutors can use musicians' lyrics in criminal trials against the artists.
• Weinstein told Axios prosecutors use song lyrics in criminal cases primarily involving Black and Hispanic defendants. He said passing the The RAP Act would limit what prosecutors can submit as evidence in terms of an artist's song lyrics.
• "I'm really hoping that this verdict will send a message to prosecutors in Atlanta and across the country that if you try to use rappers' lyrics against them when there is no connection between the lyrics and the alleged criminal activity, it's not going to work out well for you," he said.

Editor's note: This breaking story was updated with comments from Kendrick's attorney.