It’s hard to imagine that Bobby Shmurda has been in jail since the Obama administration, but today, the rapper, born Ackquille Jean Pollard, is a free man. Originally scheduled for release this coming December, Shmurda was let out early. The New York Times reported last month that was he eligible for an early release due to good behavior.
“At approximately 8:30 this morning, Ackquille Pollard was conditionally released from Clinton Correctional Facility. Mr. Pollard will be under community supervision in Kings County until he completes his sentence on February 23, 2026,” a statement from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community said, confirming Shmurda’s release today.
Shmurda was arrested in late 2014 as part of a drug-trafficking sting, along with several other members of GS9, a hip-hop collective turned gang to which he belonged. He has spent the time since then in jail on $2 million bail. In 2016, he accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy and second-degree criminal weapons possession. At the time of his sentencing in late 2016, he said that he “was forced to take this sentence, I did not want to take this sentence. I was forced by my attorney to take this plea.”
His 2014 song, “Hot N***a,” lit up the charts and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. He signed a huge deal with Epic Records following the song’s success.
Now that he’s free, expect the rapper to restart his promising career.
