Big30 Tells Judge His Record Deal Proves He’ll Stay Put To Face Gucci Mane Kidnapping Charges

Big30 files court documents claiming prosecutors overstate his role in the alleged Gucci Mane studio robbery and kidnapping case.

Big30’s fight to get out of federal custody is shaping up to be one of the most interesting legal showdowns in recent music industry history.

The Memphis rapper submitted a court filing on Friday (April 24) arguing that prosecutors have unfairly painted him as a central figure in the alleged Gucci Mane robbery and kidnapping case, when his actual role was far more limited than they’re claiming.

His legal team is pushing back hard against the government’s attempt to keep him locked up while the case moves forward.

Big30, whose real name is Rodney Wright Jr., was initially granted a $100,000 bond by a Tennessee judge on April 6, but federal prosecutors immediately appealed that decision and got it stayed.

Now he’s sitting in a Dallas jail while a Texas federal judge decides whether he should be released on bond with conditions or remain behind bars.

The core issue here is whether Big30 actually poses a flight risk or a danger to the community, and his lawyers are making a compelling case that he doesn’t.

In their filing, Big30’s attorneys argued that it remains unclear whether he was even armed during the January studio incident where Gucci Mane was allegedly held at gunpoint and forced to sign paperwork releasing Pooh Shiesty from his record deal.

The filing states that “Mr. Wright is not charged with being Pooh Shiesty’s equal in this alleged enterprise; he is charged as a participant.”

His lawyers point out that the actions prosecutors can actually prove he took, like retrieving Pooh Shiesty’s bag and filming Gucci signing the paperwork, don’t demonstrate that he orchestrated or escalated the situation.

The prosecution’s main argument for keeping Big30 locked up has been that his pending seven-figure record deal gives him a financial incentive to flee before trial.

But Big30’s legal team dismantled that logic in their response, writing that “the deal has not fallen apart” and that “his professional obligations provide a continuous and independent financial incentive to comply with conditions of release and to appear for court.”

They also highlighted that the rapper has no prior felony convictions, has lived in Memphis his entire life, has four kids there, and would be subject to home detention, GPS monitoring, and travel restrictions if released.

Pooh Shiesty’s father, Lontrell Williams Sr., is in a nearly identical situation, having been granted a $250,000 bond before prosecutors appealed and got it stayed.

Both men are now waiting for the same Texas judge to make a final call on whether they should walk free pending trial or remain incarcerated.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for everyone involved. Pooh Shiesty, his father, Big30, and the six other defendants accused in the case could face up to life in prison if convicted of the kidnapping and robbery charges.

The prosecution alleges that the group lured Gucci Mane and others to a Dallas studio under the pretense of a business meeting before carrying out the armed takeover.

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