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Big 30 just caught a major break in his federal case for allegedly kidnapping Gucci Mane.
The Memphis rapper got clearance from a federal judge to leave his house for approved recording studio sessions while he waits for trial.
He’s been locked down since April on a $100,000 bond with strict home detention, location monitoring, and travel restrictions that basically kept him from doing anything music-related.
Now that’s changing.
The situation stems from allegations that Big 30 and fellow Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty orchestrated an armed robbery and kidnapping of Gucci Mane at a Dallas recording studio back in January.
Prosecutors claim Pooh Shiesty wanted out of his record deal with Gucci Mane’s label, The New 1017 Records, and decided the best way to handle it was at gunpoint.
Nine men total got charged in the case, including Pooh Shiesty’s father, Lontrell Williams Sr.
Pooh Shiesty’s still locked up with no bond at all. The judge looked at the evidence and basically said there was no way he was getting out before trial.
Williams Sr. got a $250,000 bond but with strict home incarceration, meaning he can barely leave his house.
Big 30’s situation’s different though. He got his $100,000 bond approved back in April, and now he’s getting even more freedom.
A Shelby County Commissioner named Miska Clay Bibbs actually vouched for him, telling the court that Big 30 demonstrated real commitment to his family and community.
The defense team’s been arguing the whole time that prosecutors don’t have the physical evidence to back up these charges, and according to Fox 13 Memphis, the judge agreed enough to let Big 30 get back in the studio with advance approval from Pretrial Services.
That’s huge for an artist.
Being able to record and work on music while facing federal charges is basically a lifeline.
The contrast between Big 30’s situation and Pooh Shiesty’s is stark. One’s getting studio time, the other’s still in a cell.
The trial date for all nine defendants is set to begin in February 2026 in federal court in Dallas.
