Being Bobby Shmurda

April 17, 2021

Originally published February 26, 2021.

Front Seat

This is what's driving hip-hop this week….

Bobby’s back.

Back Seat

Respect my mind or die from lead shower.

There’s always a Jay-Z line.

The Brooklyn rapper once rapped in Grammy Family: “To be Bobby then, you gotta be Bobby now.”

Hov, of course, was referring to Bobby Brown and his supernova rise from New Edition member to solo standout and also his later life as a still beloved but faded star.

It was a nod to the adage: you have to take the good with the bad. But it was also an astute observation of societal comprehension and consequence. Oftentimes, when we peer over at the next man’s grass and become green with envy, we process the moment and rarely return for more context.

Which brings us to Bobby Shmurda and who he was then and who he could become now.

Three nights tell us the story.

Night 1: An Epic Day And Night

The hat really was a metaphor. Bobby tossed it in the air toward the end of his “Hot Nigga” music video and it never landed. It represented the Brooklyn rapper’s potential: the sky wasn’t even the limit.

In 2014, when Bobby signed to Epic Records under the tutelage of Sha Money XL, New York hip-hop was undergoing a transitional period. Jay-Z’s 2013 album Magna Carta… was a bloated corporate bundling. Nas and Nicki Minaj (his in 2013, hers in 2014) were in the midst of maturing efforts in Life Is Good and The Pinkprint, respectively. Fabolous was on a mixtape run but AWOL on retail shelves. 50 Cent had just gone indie after years with Interscope. Cam’ron was probably somewhere getting it in Columbus. And Cardi B’s arrival was still a couple years away.

But then the blaring horns of “Hot Nigga” and the ah ahh ahh ad-lib hooked us. Brooklyn keeps on taking it. Sorry, Lloyd Banks.

Soon, everyone was tossing their hats in the air and jutting their hips from side to side to emulate Bobby’s moves. It was a viral moment before labels spent money trying to engineer them. Bobby was a star and we were caught in his constellation.

In July of that same year, he signed to Epic and the day he announced his deal, he took the stage at Webster Hall for that night’s House Party event. I was in the building for the party and it was part coronation and part transition of power. I forget who was the DJ, but the crowd was amped over ASAP Mob records they spun. The Harlem collective had the city on lock, with A$AP Rocky as the charismatic frontman and a deep bench who had records that were as grimey as Flaco was pretty.

Still, Rocky never had a heater of his own that rung out in the club like “Hot Nigga.” After waiting hours for Bobby to arrive, he and GS9 hit that stage and the balcony rumbled. He wasn’t technically verbose, nor armed with a bevy of records. It wasn't the peak streaming era yet and the need to feed the DSP beast wasn’t apparent. Instead, he had guile and gumption and a cup full of something in his hand. That was all he needed and for one night, New York and the game was his.

Night 2: Mitch Caught a Body About a Week

The investigation that ultimately clipped Bobby Shmurda and GS9 began in 2013 before his stardom. By December 2014, authorities arrested 15 members of GS9, including Bobby, Rowdy Rebel and Mitch AKA Deshain Cockett, among others. Indictment charges ranged from murder and assault to weapons and narcotics. Conspiracy charges tied everything together. Guns were seized, surveillance photos and video were produced and a lot of jail time was handed down.

The short of it: GS9 was more than a neighborhood crew. Bobby’s burning star only made the spotlight on the collective brighter. NPR’s “Louder Than A Riot” podcast series (you can listen, here) does a good job of examining the Brooklyn environment GS9 and their victims came from and it makes for a more complex picture than simply good guys and bad guys.

In the end, Bobby was pressed mainly for being in the wrong place (with debates about if it was truly) at the wrong time. He made a decision, however, as he and Rowdy Rebel (also signed to Epic) were the highest profiled culprits, which burnished his legend as much as any of his lyrics. He kept quiet and, as a result, Rowdy received fewer years in jail, which in turn added years to Bobby’s sentence, though not as many as what his counterpart could have been given.

While Bobby was still developing his skill level in the booth, he made it clear he was more than a real one outside of it.

Night 3: Now What?

Bobby Shmurda is a free man. He’ll be under probation for a number of years, but he left prison and arrived home with celebration, welcomed like a hero to his family and friends. (Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Yasiin Bey, and call him a political prisoner or compare him to Mumia.) We’ve seen his IG posts and a number of photos and videos he’s been tagged in. He’s lost his lankiness, but his toothy smile is still intact. His deal with Epic Records is still in place, too.

Although Bobby spoke to GQ about his first day out, we still don’t know much about his plans for the future. He revealed he’s gonna move out of New York when given the opportunity. Instead of music, he spoke about real estate and his desire to invest in that market.

Obviously, it’s still early and he’s allowed to move at his own pace. But Bobby returns once again to a transitional time in the New York hip-hop landscape. Pop Smoke, who was shot and killed last year, left immense shoes to fill, that which Bobby himself once occupied. Many thought those were Fivio’s kicks for the taking, but CJ has inserted himself in the drill conversation, critics be damned. And J.I. is taking the younger set by storm with a page out of the playbook of A. Boogie, who is at a crossroad already in his young career. And Cardi B has relocated and ascended. (If it’s up…)

For Bobby, even as he’s discovering what TikTok is from friends and being gently reminded by the label that streaming requires records on the regular, he can find some comfort in the fact that as much as things have changed for him...from a certain view it should feel the same.

Now, we’ll have to wait and see if the next big night is one to remember. Again.

Trunk

Music, reads, podcasts and videos (music and more) I'm checking for.

  • Another Pop Smoke posthumous release, this time “AP,” from the “Boogie” film soundtrack; it’s yet another reminder that the young Brooklyn rapper had another level in him. [Listen]

  • Noname stay busy even when she’s not releasing new music by way of her activism and book club efforts, among other things. She’s been teasing her Factory Baby project for a minute now and “Rainforest” might be an early offering. In any event, it’s good to hear her voice over music again. [Listen]

  • JID flies high on “Skeegee.” (I’m seeing on the timeline it’s time to have a JID conversation.) [Listen]

  • YG and Big Sean get majestic on “Go Big,” from the

  • ”Coming 2 America” soundtrack. This what I’m talking about. Wrote about hip-hop soundtracks a couple weeks ago, here. [Listen]

  • I really like Key Glock, man. New shit, “I’m The Type.” [Listen]

  • Bobby Shmurda’s first day out c/o GQ. [Read]

  • Bruno Mars + Anderson .Paak = Silk Sonic. [Read]

  • I imagine Fabolous is gonna say something like, Gave shorty half a bottle of Spade, like Jay-Z did to LVMH. [Read]

  • Turns out, Mariah Carey is a good journalist! Here’s her chat with Cardi B for the Bronx rapper’s cover of Interview. [Read]

  • Viacom gotta get an environmental award soon for all their recycling: Yo! MTV reboot on the way, along with the return of Unplugged and Behind The Music. [Read]

  • Chance The Rapper strikes back and sues Pat The Manager. [Read]

  • Shared this on Twitter, but forgot to put here: NYT mag’s deep dive on KAWS. Article is a dope look at the art scene, from the scheme to the pretentiousness to the evolution, through the scope of KAWS. BK Museum exhibit is open. Got my tix. [Read]

  • Travis Scott confirms the title of his next LP in this i-D look; interview conducted by director Robert Rodriguez (no relation. Ha.) [Read]

  • Grammys announced Black Music Collective event; open to the public via stream. [Read]

  • Tyler, The Creator goes commercial with Coke in this new ad. [Watch]

  • The B-X showed out for the late Fred The Godson; a street was named after him. [Watch]

  • Vic Mensa was the musical guest on “Late Night With Stephen Colbert” last night and previewed a new record from his forthcoming I Tape EP, called “Fr33dom.” [Watch] I’m intrigued with Vic’s artistry and evolution. I wanted him to be something else at first, but feel honored to see what he’s instead become. I was fortunate enough to interview him for a live show we attempted at Vevo (sadly, the interview portion isn’t online) and afterward, I was so touched by his sister telling me how emotional she was hearing him reveal thoughts by his music. Special dude. Here’s a performance of “Wings” from that Vevo show. [Watch]

  • This “Behind The Cam” Wiz Khalifa docuseries on his YouTube channel is excellent; a twist to the approach and execution. Well done, to all involved. [Watch] There’s a doc on Nelly’s Country Grammar that the label put together to mark the 20-year anniversary; haven’t seen it yet. (Be clear, New York, in my Funk Flex voice: I mostly watch everything I link to.) [Watch]

  • Music media outlets, both urban and mainstream, really need to stop treating Bad Bunny as either other (because he doesn’t perform in English) or opportunity (because LatAm music is hotter than hot right now). He’s a pop star, full stop. (Maura Johnston makes the point, here.) And he raps (the majority of the time, so normalize his inclusion in hip-hop. Here’s clips of his SNL appearance last Saturday. [Watch] [Watch] Skit. [Watch]

  • Speaking of, the Jay-Z of Reggaeton (to help you understand), Daddy Yankee returns with a new single and music video, “Problema,” which is the first single from the Boricua boss’ huge deal with UMG. The joint goes. The black/white/yellow motif and nod to Roberto Clemente with the 21 on the wall is fire. [Watch]

  • Don’t sleep on Sheff G taking the top spot. The Brooklyn hard rock drops his latest visual, “Proud Of Me Now.” His sound is evolving. [Watch]

  • I see a lot of CJ hate on the timeline, but it’s like NBA All-Star picks…if you take him out tell me what stats can replace it. Young boy putting up numbers. And got records; latest vid “Politics.” [Watch]

  • Pre-order to the great Rob Kenner’s Nipsey Hussle biography, “The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle” is active; book arrives March 23. [Link]

Backseat Freestyle is written and produced by Jayson Rodriguez for Smarty Art, Inc. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to email me: [email protected]. And follow me elsewhere:

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