Bobby Shmurda’s Year in Jail: Breaking It Down By the Numbers
Today is the one-year mark since Bobby Shmurda and 14 others were arrested and charged in a 101-count indictment, and we break down his career and jail ordeal by the numbers.
It was all different just a year ago. Last December, Bobby Shmurda was riding high off the breakout success of his single “Hot N—a” (which had been certified platinum Dec. 5), the viral cache of his Shmoney Dance, and his record deal with Epic Records — which was rumored to come with a significant advance. In the six months prior, he’d graced stages with Raekwon, Drake and Meek Mill, and had his song remixed by French Montana, T.I. and Jadakiss, among others. Beyonce and Rihanna were both spotted doing the Shmoney Dance, and his follow-up single, “Bobby Bitch,” debuted on the Hot 100, dispelling predictions he would be a one-hit wonder.
But then it all came to a screeching halt: early in the hours of Dec. 17, 2014, one year ago today, Shmurda was sitting in a car outside of Quad Recording Studios when police raided the place, arresting eight people in and around the studio and recovering 10 guns; police found two guns and a “small quantity” of crack in the car where Shmurda was sitting. The next day, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor indicted Shmurda and 14 other members of GS9 — the name of his neighborhood record label or a drug-running gang in Flatbush, depending on who you believe — on 69 counts (later elevated to 101) running the gamut from conspiracy to weapons possession to assault to second degree murder, dating back more than a year.
Shmurda himself — born Ackquille Pollard — was hit with eight charges, including conspiracy, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon (a breakdown can be seen here). But worse for him, Shmurda was painted as the leader of a Flatbush drug ring, with various assaults and shootings wrapped up in broader conspiracy charges to protect the gang’s turf, allegations that his lawyers and he himself have repeatedly denied. A Manhattan Supreme Court judge set his bail at $2 million, a number that made Epic Records balk and that has effectively kept him behind bars awaiting trial for a full year at this point, as bail applications were withdrawn or denied, and court dates and hearings are delayed.
“When I see the judge and the DA, I just see a bunch of people trying to take my life away for being blessed,” Shmurda told Billboard from jail in February after pleading not guilty to all charges. “That’s what I look at when I look at them. It looks like a bunch of haters, when I see the DA and stuff, taking my life away for being blessed.”
It’s been a full year now since Shmurda’s arrest and his trial is still more than two months away, scheduled to begin Feb. 22, 2016 — 432 days after his arrest. Today, Billboard looks back at Bobby Shmurda’s short-lived career, and longer jail bid, by the numbers.
Age: 21
Number of Weeks “Hot N—a” Spent on the Hot 100: 15
“Hot N—a” Hot 100 Peak: 6
Songs Charted on the Hot 100: 2 (“Hot N—a,” “Bobby Bitch”)
Songs Officially Released by Epic: 5
Featured Guest Appearances: 10
Days Since the Original “Hot N—a” Video Was Uploaded to YouTube: 629
Number of YouTube Views for “Hot N—a” on Official Video: 157,000,000
Days Since Epic Records Officially Released “Hot N—a” (According to RIAA): 448
Days It Took “Hot N—a” To Be Certified Platinum (According to RIAA): 41
Days Spent in Jail Without a Trial: 365
Average Number of Pre-Trial Days NYC Felony Defendants Spend in Jail (from 2012 report): 95
Number of Days Signed to Epic Records: 519
Percentage of Days Signed to Epic Spent In Jail: 70.3 percent
Bail: $2 million
Number of Times Bail Applications Have Been Withdrawn or Denied: 6
Number of Lawyers: 3
Plea Deals Rejected: 1
Total Number of Charges In Indictment: 101
Total Number of Bobby Shmurda’s Charges: 8
Number of People Arrested Dec. 17, 2014: 15
Number of Guns Seized In Connection With the Indictment: 21
Potential Maximum Sentence For Bobby Shmurda If Convicted: 8 to 25 years
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