ATLANTA – For a generation that sang along to “Cashin’ Out” and “She Twerkin’,” the latest news about Atlanta rapper Ca$h Out (real name John Michael Hakeem Gibson) is a disturbing twist in a familiar beat.
On Wednesday and Thursday, closing arguments wrapped up in a high-profile Fulton County trial that’s gripped Atlanta’s hip hop community. Prosecutors claim the rapper wasn’t just making hits—he was allegedly leading a criminal enterprise responsible for years of exploitation and abuse.
Alongside Gibson stand his mother, Linda Smith, aka “Mama Ca$h Out,” and a man named Tyrone Taylor. The charges against them stem from a re-indictment in 2023, where state prosecutors laid out a chilling picture of a “music label” turned front for alleged sex trafficking and coercion.
Authorities claim Gibson used his label PMG (Pyrex Music Group) and the Ca$h Out brand to recruit women from social media. Once in his orbit, prosecutors say, the women were isolated, manipulated, and forced into commercial sex work—sometimes violently.
Here’s the full list of charges Ca$h Out is facing:
- Violation of the Georgia RICO Act
- Trafficking a person for sexual servitude (multiple counts)
- Rape
- Aggravated sodomy
- Aggravated assault
- Possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony
- Pimping (misdemeanor)
- Pandering (misdemeanor)
- Keeping a place of prostitution (misdemeanor)
- Willful obstruction of law enforcement (misdemeanor)
- Simple battery
- Possession or distribution of contraband to an inmate
In court, Gibson’s defense argued that the state’s case relied heavily on unreliable testimony, suggesting the accusers contradicted themselves or voluntarily returned to contact Gibson. They claimed the state lacked hard proof and overcharged the case by stacking overlapping charges. His lawyer also questioned the credibility of co-defendants who took deals in exchange for cooperation.
Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture—one of control, abuse, and seven years of fear. They allege Gibson ran his operation with his mother’s help, using manipulation and violence to trap women in a cycle of dependence, coercion, and silence.
This trial is about more than one artist’s fall from fame—it’s a spotlight on the dark intersections of power, celebrity, and exploitation. For those who grew up dancing to his music, it’s a gut check: How do we reconcile the soundtrack of our youth with the stories of the women now stepping forward?
Is this justice finally catching up—or a system failing to protect until it’s too late?
