An Atlanta Police Department gang detective took the stand on Tuesday in the trial of hip-hop superstar Young Thug and alleged criminal street gang YSL.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was in the courtroom as Detective Mark Belknap continued his testimony, including cross-examination.
He says that just because someone is a rapper and signed to a music label, does not mean they can’t be part of a gang.
“Is being a rapper and a gang member mutually exclusive?” prosecutor Simone Hylton asked.
“Not at all,” Belknap responded.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ]
Prosecutors went on to say that gangs and music labels or entertainment companies have had the same initials before.
They also showed a photo of Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and Demetrius Flenory Jr., whose father is one of the co-founders of Black Family Mafia, a drug trafficking and money laundering organization that also began BMF Entertainment.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys focused on how gang symbols and colors are part of pop culture.