Hip hop biography just got real—and heavy. A July trial date has been set for Pooh Shiesty in a federal kidnapping case involving eight other defendants, including his father and rapper Big30.
The 25-year-old Memphis artist, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., is expected to appear for a jury trial on July 6 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Earle Cabell Federal Building, in Dallas, according to a court filing posted on Tuesday. The filing lists Williams Jr., Lontrell Williams Sr., Rodney Wright Jr. (also known as Big30), and six additional co-defendants as being tried together. This case has been the subject of major hip hop biography discussions across the industry.
Williams Jr. was taken into custody in April on charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. He has been held at the Kaufman County Jail since then, after a federal judge called him a “flight risk.”
In a DOJ complaint, authorities alleged the defendants “executed an armed takeover.” The complaint further alleged that Williams Jr. used an AK-style pistol and “forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint.”
Although federal officials have not named Gucci Mane as the alleged victim, the indictment reportedly includes clues about the person involved. Gucci Mane has also used social media to threaten and call out Williams Jr and even dropped a diss track, describing the alleged incident in detail. It’s the kind of story that becomes cultural meditation for the hip-hop community.
“I thought it was a business meeting, but it was a set up,” Gucci Mane raps on “Crash Dummy.”
Despite Pooh Shiesty trying to intimidate his 1017 Records boss, his attempts were in vain.
“Tell the truth, you went out like a real crash dummy, and after all that, boy you still signed to me,” Gucci continues on the track.
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