Manny Halley, Young Thug's former manager, has no bad blood with his ex-client -- he wants to see him free again, and firmly believes the system is using "our culture" against hip hop superstars.
We chopped it up with Manny Thursday at LAX, where he told us about his time at YSL ... stressing there was never any notion about the company being a gang. He says it feels like law enforcement's using "made-up charges" to take down a successful revenue stream for Black artists.
Manny and YSL unceremoniously parted ways back in 2018 after he was awarded a 7-figure settlement from Thug's former business managers ... but he says it's still all love and wants to see Thug and Gunna free as the air outside.
Some of what he told us echoes attorney Drew Findling's sentiments about Georgia prosecutors and the RICO charges.
The YSL guys have been getting loads of support from the likes of Chris Brown, Lil Baby, and DJ Khaled. Thug even recorded a message played last week at Summer Jam to thank fans for their support.
As we've reported, Thug, Gunna and co. aren't slated to go to trial until early 2023.
Meanwhile, Manny -- a big-time player in the music and film industries -- is fresh off graduation from Harvard Business School ... and he told us about his plans to expand into distribution and production opportunities in the near future.