Memphis prodigy Pooh Shiesty, signed to Gucci Mane‘s 1017 Records, blew up in 2020 with hits like “Back in Blood (feat. Lil Durk)” and “Neighbors” off his Shiesty Season project. However, that acclaim would soon come crashing down later that year.
In October 2020, he would be arrested for a drug deal gone wrong, where he allegedly shot a man in the buttocks and drugs and weapons were found in his possession. Now, nearly a year and a half later, Pooh Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., has been sentenced to 63 months in prison for charges related to the incident.
Although the charges for shooting the man had been dropped, Pooh Shiesty still faced charges for conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of violent and drug-trafficking crimes. In January, since he plead guilty to the crimes, his possible sentence was reduced from life to a maximum of 8 years.
After being sentenced to a total of 5 years and 3 months on April 20, his lawyer Bradford Cohen offered a statement to Rolling Stone that explained Pooh Shiesty’s headspace.
“Listen, nobody’s happy to go to prison, but he was happy the judge listened to our argument, and the judge received the argument well,” he said. “He was satisfied with the outcome.”
Since Pooh Shiesty had been in jail since June 2021, the judge will account that time towards his sentence, and also said he could be released in as short as three and a half years if he has continued good behavior. Part of the argument that his defense attorneys presented during the sentencing were that his father was incarcerated when he was young, his mother was abused by her boyfriend and he was shot twice as a teenager, exemplifying the rough environment he came from.
After the sentencing, Pooh Shiesty posted a statement for his fans on Instagram, saying he is grateful for their support, and that he would release new music from behind bars next week.
Other instances where he put out music while locked up include his collaboration with Jack Harlow “SUVs (Black on Black)” in August and his “Federal Contraband” freestyle in December.
Hopefully when Pooh Shiesty returns home from prison, there will still be room for his talent to flourish in the hip-hop community.
