Kevin Liles, the co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment, has issued a statement in the wake of news that Atlanta rapper Young Thug is to be released from prison following a guilty plea on Thursday (Oct. 31).
Liles, who co-founded 300 Entertainment in 2012 and signed Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) to the label in 2014, issued his statement late on Thursday following the completion of Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial.
“Words can’t express the incredible happiness and relief I feel to learn of Jeffery’s freedom,” Liles stated. “There will be a time to discuss the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics and the use of bond denial as a weapon against defendants, but in this moment everyone should feel nothing but joy that this amazing artist and even better man can hug his children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones tonight.
“We must always remember artists aren’t fictional characters,” he concluded. “They’re human beings first. God bless Jeffery and his family.”