Bobby Shmurda

Background

Ackquille Jean Pollard, famous worldwide as Bobby Shmurda, was born in Miami, Florida, on August 4, 1994. His father is a Jamaican named Gervase Johnson, while his mother is an African-American named Leslie Pollard. After his father was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1995, Pollard moved with his mother to East Flatbush, Brooklyn. His childhood and adolescence could be considered bumpy as he was engaged in multiple fights and other charges, including being sent to detention for 15 months for violation of probation and gun charges. Nevertheless, Pollard found his passion in music at a young age. He already started rapping at 10 years old in 2004 and continued to do so until a decade later when he remixed a song by Crime Mob, ‘Knuck If You Buck’ in 2014.

Pollard rose to massive fame starting on July 25, 2014, when he released the single ‘Hot Nigga.’ With the instrumental from Lloyd Banks’ ‘Jackpot,’ the song immediately became viral, amassing one million views on YouTube within two months. It grabbed the number one spot on both the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop charts and the U.S. Rap, ranked sixth on the “Billboard” Hot 100, and finally received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The Shmoney Dance he performed in the video became an online sensation, resulting in numerous Vines and dance challenges. Many rappers, including French Montana, Juicy J., Gunplay, T.I., and Lil’ Kim, created freestyles over the instrumental. This success resulted in Pollard signing into Epic Records, officially naming the song as his debut single under the label. In August 2014, ‘Hot Nigga’ received a reggae remix featuring Mavado, Popcaan, Junior Reid, and Jah X. It received an official remix on September 4, 2014, featuring Chris Brown, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Yo Gotti, and Rowdy Rebel. Pollard released another song, ‘Bobby Bitch,’ on September 30, 2014, once again entering the “Billboard” Hot 100 at number 92. It was followed by his debut E.P., “Shmurda She Wrote,” on November 10, 2014. This album ranked fifth on the U.S. Rap Chart, seventh on the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and grabbed the 79th spot on the “Billboard” 200 Chart.

Pollard was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon in June 2014. Although he was bailed out for $10,000, he was arrested several months later. He was sentenced to seven years in prison with two years of credit, leaving five years of the sentence and another five years probation. His 2016’s scheduled debut studio album with Epic Records was postponed due to his jail time. Nevertheless, his imprisonment did not stop Pollard from continuing to make music. He wrote songs while still in detention and freestyled for fellow rapper Meek Mill in February 2017. On October 5, 2018, he was featured in 6ix9ine’s single ‘Stoopid’ by sending his lyrics through the prison’s telephone. Pollard was released from prison on February 23, 2021, and will be under parole until February 23, 2026. His first appearance at a concert took place on July 23, 2021, when he performed at Miami’s Rolling Loud Festival. He released a new single, ‘No Time for Sleep (Freestyle)’ on September 3, 2021. On March 27, 2022, Pollard’s request for release from Epic Records was granted. In an interview post-prison with “G.Q.,” he said his next plan is to get into real estate and other ventures. As of 2022, Pollard has already garnered a massive social media audience with 5.7 million followers on Instagram, 1.5 million followers on Facebook, and 2.71 million subscribers on YouTube. His 2014 mega-hit, ‘Hot Nigga,’ on YouTube has been viewed more than 800 million times.