Gunna finally breaks his silence nearly two years after he was released from jail in connection with the YSL RICO case.
The Atlanta rapper, now 30, found himself in the midst of legal troubles in 2022 as one of the 28 individuals affiliated with 32-year-old Young Thug's YSL collective. He was charged in a RICO case involving alleged gang-related activity and other crimes.
After spending roughly seven months in jail, Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, was released in December 2022 with a plea deal. Snitching allegations quickly emerged which prompted Gunna’s lawyer Steve Sadow to deny the claims.
“Gunna did not snitch to get out of jail,” Sadow wrote at the time. “He has said nothing and is not cooperating. His plea statement cannot be used in court against any other defendant. So please stop spreading lies.”
For XXL’s new cover story, Gunna spoke on the state of his relationship with Young Thug, saying, “It’s the same. It’s love, always. Our relationship is our relationship.”
When asked about rappers including Lil Durk, 21 Savage, and Lil Baby who have directly and indirectly alluded to Gunna being a snitch, he mentioned that none of them are part of the case and “don’t know legally what’s going on.”
“I talked to like, maybe like, two or three of those guys. I talked to them on the phone,” said Gunna, adding that the conversations were handled “peacefully.”
“I definitely feel like everybody’s been misled. And like, you know, when you’re being misled, you got a choice to follow or make your own decisions,” he added. “And that’s what is being shown right now. You’re being a follower or you’re being neutral to be like, ‘I don’t know what their business is or what they really got goin' on.’”
In an effort to move past his legal woes, Gunna says he’s been committing himself to self-improvement after losing about 30-40 pounds while he was in jail and continuing to work out since his release.
“I got a trainer. I work out six days a week. I eat better. I eat clean. And that’s something I’m disciplining myself to do every day,” Gunna said. “It’s something that I’m liking, though. I feel better when I work out.”
The rapper also announced on Monday that a new album, One of Wun, featuring the previously-released singles “Bittersweet” and “Prada Dem” featuring Offset, is on the way.
“This album is still showing growth. Showing me growing into a man because I’ve been more disciplined. I’ve been tapping into different things. I’ve been living in a different space. I feel like you’ll hear that in the music,” he told XXL. “Me being creative and tapping with my voice, doing sounds, doing different melodies. I just feel like you’re gon’ feel me evolve.”
Fans can catch Gunna on the Bittersweet Tour with special guest Flo Milli when it kicks off in Columbus, Ohio on May 4. The trek will bring him to 16 cities including Chicago, Houston, and Miami before wrapping up in Atlanta on June 11.
