It seemed like a combination of “about a week ago” and forever ago that Bobby Shmurda had us all doing the Shmoney dance in the club to his hit song. Hell, it seems like forever ago that we’ve been in a club (those of us following COVID-19 protocols, anyway).
That song, “Hot Nigga” (or “Hot Boy” if you’re into the clean version) was released way more than a week ago—about seven years ago if you can believe it. With that hit single, it seemed like Shmurda was on top of the world—until he was arrested in 2016 for conspiracy and weapon charges that had him facing 25 years to life in prison. By pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal possession of a weapon as part of a plea deal, Shmurda (born Ackquille Pollard) was sentenced to six to seven years in prison.
However, the 26-year-old rapper was granted an early release and walked out of Clinton Correctional Facility in New York on Tuesday morning, TMZ reports. Shmurda was able to be released 10 months earlier than previously scheduled due to good behavior. He will be under parole supervision until Feb. 23, 2026. Quavo from Migos did the honors of picking up Shmurda upon his release and bringing him home in a private jet.
Shortly after we all received official news of his release, a very heartwarming video circulated across social media of Shmurda Facetiming with his mother as he flexed in triumph.
Fans have been advocating for Shmurda’s release for years, with many citing the controversy behind his hit song’s lyrics leading to his arrest.
In 2019, The New Yorker’s Briana Younger wrote:
The admissibility of rap lyrics and videos as evidence is often framed as a legal matter, but it is really about race. By introducing the work of a rapper into the courtroom, prosecutors are relying on racism to do its job—insisting that those in the courtroom accept, as fact, the worst kinds of stereotypes about this music and the people who make it. We live in a time when music videos are treated as irrefutable evidence in court, but real-life cell-phone footage of police killing an unarmed person is met with skepticism and suggestions that we should doubt our eyes. The hypocrisy relies on racist ideas, in both cases, about who deserves their rights and humanity.
In a 2016 interview with Revolt, Shmurda said he wanted to fight against social injustice upon his release. Needless to say, Shmurda fans had something significant to celebrate on Tuesday.
In addition to seeing Shmurda hit his popular Shmoney Dance, many fans are hoping his fitted cap returns to his head perfectly, a la Thor’s Mjollnir. We need to see that live on camera. It’ll probably rival the Captain America / Mjollnir moment in Avengers: Endgame.
Too bad he’s returning to a whole global pandemic era lockdown, but we’re shmoney dancing with you in social-distancing spirit, Bobby. Welcome home.