Los Angeles rapper 03 Greedo has surprise-released his long-awaited mixtape, Free 03. The 15-song project includes guest appearances from the late Drakeo the Ruler (“No Free Features”), OhGeesy (“I Can’t Control Myself”), BlueBucksClan (“Pourin”), and KentheMan (“Drop Down”). The record was produced entirely by Mike Free. Listen to Free 03 below.
Greedo offered the first tastes of Free 03 last year when he released the singles “Drop Down” and “Pourin.” Prior to his untimely death in 2021, Drakeo the Ruler collaborated with Greedo numerous times—on tracks like “Ion Rap Beef,” “Out the Slums,” and “Let’s Go.” The posthumously released “No Free Features” finds the close friends working together once more.
It’s the last day of June and 03 Greedo is on the other end of the phone speaking from inside a sweatbox Texas state prison where he’s spent the last two years. When the Los Angeles street rap seer wakes up tomorrow on the first day of July, he’ll have lost all of his inmate privileges. For a biblical sum of 40 days and 40 nights, the pride of Watts will not have any contact with the outside world: no phone calls and no mail; no trips to the commissary; no fresh air and recreation on the yard.
03 Greedo, the Watts-born rapper who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison at the height of his career, might be coming home relatively soon. Fans of the west coast rapper began speculating on social media after Greedo’s parole status was updated to “approved” on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.
Jeff Weiss, a well-known music reporter and editor who interviewed Greedo in 2020 for the Washington Post, disputed the rumors on Twitter. “Greedo has not yet been approved for parole. However, I spoke to his family this morning and it’s looking positive,” Weiss tweeted.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website, Greedo became eligible for parole back in August of 2020. The website notes that Greedo’s last parole decision was “approved” last week on condition that he completes “a program prior to release.” His projected release date is currently September 2026.
The 34 year old rapper known for his hit record ‘Substance,’ has spent the past four years in a federal prison system in Texas, where some inmates still pick cotton. Greedo was convicted in 2018 on two charges related to a 2016 arrest for weapons and drugs possession.
Doug Smith, a senior policy analyst with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, described the facility that Greedo was being held in at the time as “an indescribably awful hell,” during an interview with Weiss. Smith also noted that during the pandemic there were issues with getting people released who were parole-approved. Greedo’s arrest appeared to be a classic example of a pretextual stop (when police use a minor infraction, such as busted headlight, in hopes of discovering a more serious crime). Greedo was a passenger in a vehicle when they were pulled over for a vehicle infraction. Officers claimed they smelled marijuana and subsequently searched the car, revealing multiple pounds of methamphetamine and stolen guns, but no marijuana was ever found.
Historically, pretextual stops have proved to be ineffective and have had a disproportionate impact on people of color. In some cases they violate people’s civil liberties. Greedo blames two incomptetent lawyers for not fighting harder against what he believes was an illegal search, like his co-defendant’s counsel did. Greedo has new representation now working to make sure he’s home before 2038.
No comments:
Post a Comment