Pooh Shiesty's Album Came Out on Gucci Mane's Label, the Deal Prosecutors Say He Tried to Escape at Gunpoint

All Eyes on Shiest, Pooh Shiesty's debut album, dropped Friday, 7 August, on Gucci Mane's 1017 Global label and Atlantic Records. Prosecutors say the Memphis rapper tried to escape that deal in January. They allege he forced the label's owner, reported to be Gucci Mane, to sign a release at gunpoint.

Shiesty, born Lontrell Williams Jr., has pleaded not guilty. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 while he was in custody. On Thursday, 15 October, his lawyers told a court he is locked alone in his cell for all but one hour a day.

Inside the Dallas Studio

Three music industry figures went to Dallas on 10 January, the Justice Department says. Williams had arranged the meeting, supposedly about his contract. There, the complaint says, he pulled out an AK-style pistol while six others drew guns and took Rolex watches, jewellery and cash. Prosecutors say someone choked one victim until he nearly passed out. They cite his ankle monitor, which put him at the studio while on home detention for a past gun crime.

Court papers call the man who signed the release R.D. They say he owns 1017 Records. The Associated Press and others named him as Gucci Mane, born Radric Davis. Prosecutors claim rapper Big30 then filmed Davis releasing Williams from the deal. A video KERA News obtained seems to show another defendant by the door with a gun. 'The defendants resorted to violence and intimidation to achieve their purported business objectives,' said US Attorney Ryan Raybould.

A Top 10 Record and a Pointed Reply

Williams signed to Davis's label in 2020, and his 2021 mixtape Shiesty Season became a top-five hit in the US. The new album features GloRilla, Sexyy Red, the late producer Tay Keith and Big30. Big30 is also charged in the case. Billboard said it sold the equivalent of 51,000 albums in its first week. In April, Gucci Mane released a song called 'Crash Dummy', which is shown below.

Music sites read the track as a reply to the case, though it never names Williams. Over a Zaytoven beat, Gucci Mane describes a business meeting that turns into a setup and addresses someone he says is still signed to him. KERA News reports it is unclear whether Williams remains on the label. Williams used the album's title phrase in a message from prison in February 2023, before this case began.

Alone in a Cell, Awaiting Trial

Williams is held at Rolling Plains Regional Jail in Haskell, Texas, about 160 miles (257.5 kilometres) west of Fort Worth. His lawyers say staff told him only that he is isolated for his own protection. 'He has not been told who or what poses a threat to him,' the motion reads, according to KERA News.

Courts have refused him bail three times since April, and Judge David Godbey called him dangerous. His trial on kidnapping and robbery charges is set for 22 February 2027, and each defendant faces up to life in prison if convicted. All nine deny the charges, and the Justice Department notes that a complaint is only an allegation.