President Trump has been working on boosting his street cred for a minute. After his assassination attempt last year, social media and even 50 Cent himself gave him the “Many Men (Wish Death)” treatment. He is constantly referenced in rap music, from Mac Miller to YG and Nipsey Hussle (who both decided to let the choppa sing on the politician). He even tried to help A$AP Rocky out when he was imprisoned in Sweden back in 2019.
However, he might have been able to secure new allies thanks to the official pardons that have benefited some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
It’s pardon season
Trump was once again in a giving mood and decided to officially pardon individuals, including reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley (they were found guilty of bank and tax fraud and were incarcerated since 2022) and NBA Youngboy, on May 28. Youngboy was previously serving a 23-month sentence over a weapon found in his Utah home last year and a gun charge while filming a music video back in 2021.
“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building – as a man, as a father, and as an artist. This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” the rapper posted on IG shortly after the news broke.
Another headline-making commutation was granted to a name long associated with both controversy and influence: Larry Hoover. If that rings a bell, it’s because Rick Ross shouted him out on his hit song “B.M.F.”, and Drake and Ye even held a benefit concert for him in 2021.
He was serving six life sentences in Colorado after being one of the 39 Gangster Disciples leaders indicted in August 1995 in Operation Headache (AKA the feds’ six-year effort to infiltrate gangs). However, he still has the remainder of a 200-year sentence for the murder of 19-year-old neighborhood drug dealer William “Pooky” Young in 1973.
Nevertheless, Ye shared how excited he was on X once the news was officially released, thanking President Trump and for some reason…Drake, too.
“The Courts have demonstrated a complete unwillingness to consider Mr. Hoover’s considerable growth and complete rehabilitation. Despite the Court’s unwillingness to do the right thing, Mr. Hoover has been able to keep his voice alive through the incredible work of many advocates and supporters. Thankfully, Mr. Hoover’s pleas were heard by President Trump who took action to deliver justice for Mr. Hoover,” Hoover’s attorneys, Jennifer Bonjean and Justin Moore, said in an official statement.
This isn’t Trump’s first time showing love to the rap world. Back in 2021, he granted a full pardon to Lil Wayne, who had pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges and was facing 10 years in prison. He also commuted Kodak Black’s sentence — he had been serving four years for falsifying information to purchase firearms — and cut short the sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris, who was 32 years into a sentence for cocaine trafficking and attempted murder.
With Youngboy about to go on tour and reactions to the pardons flooding the Internet, only time will tell to see if more people end up on Trump’s “nice list.”
