YSL Defense Attorney Arrested in Courtroom on Gang Charges

Yesterday, Kanye wore a full-face mask to Inter Milan’s Champions League match. Their Ultra fans recorded the “Carnival” chant—wonder if he thought, “Go, go, go, go” while trying to breathe. In other news today:

• All Vultures songs debut on Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• YSL attorney arrested in courtroom on gang charges 🐍 

• The hygiene and concept of Kanye’s $850K grill is revealed 💎 

• Discover new music with the Rap Index 🎵 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

‘Vultures’ Songs on the Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

All 16 songs from Vultures 1 debuted on the Hot 100, with the highest ranking being “Carnival” at #3. North West earned her first entry on the chart for “Talking.” At 10 years old, she became one of the youngest artists ever to chart—Adonis is sick right now.

Vultures 1 debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 148K in first-week sales, making it Kanye’s 11th No. 1 album.

YSL Defense Attorney Arrested in Courtroom on Gang Charges

Yes, you read that right. The YSL RICO trial is the joke that keeps on giving. On Friday (Feb 16), Nicole Fegan, who is the defense attorney for Tenquarius Mender, was arrested in court on gang-related charges. Her client’s case had already been severed from the main YSL RICO trial, but the news made headlines for its irony.

How does this affect Young Thug?

The reason for the arrest is unrelated to the YSL trial and will not affect Young Thug’s case, but the close association in the media is why Metro Boomin called the news misinformation.

What are the charges?

Fegan was charged with participating in criminal street gang activity and criminal solicitation to commit the offense of tampering with evidence. It sounds ominous, but it’s not so much gang member shit as it is Saul Goodman.

Related to a deadly shooting in Atlanta from Dec 2022, Fegan allegedly warned a suspect about an active warrant for his arrest and told him to dispose of his phone so it couldn’t be used as evidence—information she learned during a preliminary hearing.

She wasn’t representing the suspect, so the conversation wasn’t protected by attorney-client privilege and was classified instead as street gang activity.

Fegan spent time at the Fulton County jail—where Young Thug and other YSL codefendants are being held—before being released on a $40K bond.

Who is Nicole Fegan / YSL Nicki?

Shortly after the news broke, YSL fans began combing Fegan’s social media, and a video of her singing the lyrics, “Go check my profile, I beat the verdict” from Future’s “4 da Gang” went viral for obvious comedic reasons. “U can tell she’s been to them cookouts,” one user commented, while others have nicknamed her “YSL Nicki.”

Known for her #GotProof catchphrase, she’s represented other Atlanta rappers such as Jose Guapo and Gucci Mane’s artist PeeWee Longway. Quickly scroll through her IG, and you’ll find videos of her singing along to rappers like 42 Dugg, Lil Durk, and Moneybagg Yo.

‘Boondocks’ episode or YSL RICO trial?

Boondocks couldn’t write a better episode if they tried. The Adult Swim cartoon, known for its satirical humor of stereotypes like white suburbia and gangsta rap is full of storylines that mimic the ridiculously unserious nature of antics from the YSL RICO courtroom.

Below, guess if an event happened in the YSL RICO trial or a Boondocks episode, and find out if you’re right.

The Custom Jet Innovation Behind Kanye’s $850K Grill by Celebrity Dentist

“Kanye has teeth removed and replaced with $850K titanium dentures,” read a viral headline at the beginning of the year. Everyone soon learned that Kanye did not remove his teeth, corrected by Dr. Thomas Connelly, the self-proclaimed “father of diamond dentistry” responsible for Kanye’s tooth makeover.

Not exclusive to Kanye, Dr. Connelly’s worked with everyone from Post Malone and Lil Yachty to Odell Beckham Jr. and Offset, customizing their million-dollar smiles. He says grillz is to dentistry what padded bras are to breast implants—if you swap cup sizes for VVS clarity. 

For the first episode of Workshop, we sat down with Dr. Connelly to get the real story behind Kanye’s titanium grill and other high-profile rappers.

What makes Kanye’s $850K titanium grill unique?

“The most unique and innovative thing I’ve done today is with Ye. The inspiration was really his mind and his vision,” said Dr. Connelly. “When you first look at it, it’s a little confusing. It’s futuristic, and yet you find yourself kind of looking, and it’s attractive.”

The aesthetic of Kanye’s titanium grills made headlines, but the attention to detail he put into the idea wowed Dr. Connelly. Partnering with Proclaim, the custom-jet oral health system, “They created a custom piece that he bites into, and it literally lines up and flushes into pore holes and cleans everything—it’s genius.”

“Thank god we have people like [Kanye] that have minds that are so expansive. I’d love to say I had a part in it, but I only implemented his design,” said Dr. Connelly, giving full credit to Kanye for the concept and idea.

Watch the full episode below to find out more about:

• Lil Yachty’s $1M+ grill

• Offset’s diamond-swapping grill

• Travis Barker’s transformative tattoo & grill shop

• Odell Beckham Jr.’s $2M magnetic grill

The Rap Index ft. Yeat, ScHoolboy Q, Gunna, ICYTWAT & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

RapTV’s Ranking of Rap Index Songs

1. “Breathe” by Yeat (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

2. “Yeern 101” by ScHoolboy Q (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

3. “Bittersweet” by Gunna (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

4. “Call tha Troopz” by ICYTWAT (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

5. “Foreva” by Waka Flocka Flame (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

6. “Closed Case” by NBA YoungBoy (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

7. “Sorrys & Ferraris” by Polo G (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

8. “Vertino” by Conway the Machine, Joey Bada$$ (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

• Travis Scott sued for alleged copyright infringement over “Stargazing” and “Til Further Notice.” The lawsuit claims the two tracks use unauthorized samples of 1992 song “Bitches (Reply).”

• Apple is set to face a $539M fine in the EU over Spotify's in-app tax complaint. Focusing on Apple’s App Store “tax,” developer-user communication limits, and distorting competition in the music streaming market.

• Usher addresses Justin Bieber’s absence from his Super Bowl halftime performance. Noting that he believes Bieber “deserves to” and one day will headline the halftime show.

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