UPDATED 6:25 p.m. ET: More details have emerged on the arrest of Young Nudy. According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the rapper was arrested and booked on aggravated assault and gang charges Sunday morning around 4 a.m. following a performance at The Atrium in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Arrest warrants were obtained by police two days prior on Friday.
W. Scott Smith, a lawyer for Nudy, told AJC the warrants were from an incident that took place two years ago, and while the Atlanta Police Department cleared the rapper after an investigation, DeKalb police picked up the charges. A bond has not been set for Nudy.
"We believe that Young Nudy is innocent and this is a case of mistaken identity... Young Nudy's legal team is working closely with law enforcement to ensure this case does not get blown out of proportion," Smith said in a statement.
Smith added: "Young Nudy is taking these charges very seriously. Had law enforcement contacted us directly we would have voluntarily surrendered, but Young Nudy was arrested shortly after a performance Saturday night."
See below for original story.
DJ BJ, who's worked closely with both Young Nudy and 21 Savage, has publicly disputed the should-be-abolished U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s account of the events that resulted in 21 being placed in their custody this weekend.
In tweets shared Sunday, BJ disputed claims that Nudy and 21 were in the same vehicle at the time of what reports have described as a "targeted operation." He also urged those reporting on the 21 story to be more diligent about nailing down the details and facts of the incident, adding that the Atlanta Police Department—named in a CBS Newsupdate and others as being behind the initial arrest of the two artists—weren't the ones doing the traffic stop that started it all.
One of BJ's comments was in response to writer Donovan Farley, who said Sunday that an ICE spokesperson claimed to him that Nudy and 21 were in the same car and that APD was involved. Later, however, Farley said an ICE spokesperson "unequivocally denied" a heavily circulated quote in which ICE was seemingly attempting to turn the public against 21 by questioning his image.
When reached for additional comment by Complex, an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson directed us to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A DHS spokesperson then cc'd an ICE spokesperson, who had not responded to the request at the time of this writing.
News of 21's ICE arrest was met with a wave of support from fellow artists and fans alike. Vince Staples, Alex Tumay, Meek Mill, and Lil Yachty all voiced their concern for 21 on Sunday. Some, however, took the opportunity to make inane jokes at immigrants' expense, which basically amounts to siding with ICE. Don't do that.
