Brooklyn Made & Unmade Bobby Shmurda

A new longform piece at GQ has shed new light on the ongoing case of Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda.

According to the piece, Shmurda has been caught up in a tale of gang violence, drug trafficking and industry politics ever since he was arrested last year. The piece goes into greater detail, explaining that following the viral success of “Hot N*gga” and the Shmoney Dance, Shmurda (born Ackquille Pollard) found himself suddenly rich; East Flatbush’s G-Stone Crips allegedly took notice of Shmurda’s ascendant fortunes and instituted a tax on him and his clique, tying the Epic Records artist’s name to a notoriously violent gang with ties to the drug trade. This connection would prove to be Shmurda’s bane in court, as his name was given top billing as the ringleader of a nefarious drug gang. Pollard has since found himself battling uphill against these allegations — his flagship song touts that he sold crack as early as the fifth grade, after all. Meanwhile, it should be noted, the prosecution has yet to produce any physical evidence tying GS9 to the drug trade.

Read the full piece here and let us know what you think of Shmurda’s case in the comments below.