What up gang.
Back with the real you know what’s the deal. Hip hop is proof that no matter your background or status you can find success and be a star, but being able to maintain and control that fame is another question. Rappers have been falling victim to social media and not being able to switch their street mentality after blowing up. The newest to the list is 1017 rapper, Foogiano.
In his case, he pulled a Tay K and did the race right after he was released from prison too. Obviously, the law caught up to him but by then it was too late. Now, he’s been sentenced to sit his career and life out for 5 years in a jail cell. Today we’re going to chop it up and break it down, detailing his rough upbringing, his criminal past, and what led the rapper to a potential career ending prison sentence.
Kwame Brown aka Foogiano grew up in a place where it’s rare to make it big time in the music industry. That place is Greensboro Georgia. With a population of about 3500 people, it’s a small community where everyone knew everyone https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (1:48-1:51) Foogiano’s mom said he initially wanted to be a baller, but life turned him into a rapper https://youtu.be/_Ksl7rnE4-8 (0:48-0:53) At just 12-years-old he jumped off the porch and became a product of the streets, robbing, shooting, and dealing coke https://youtu.be/_Ksl7rnE4-8 (1:32-1:40) https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (2:25-2:33) This turned his focus away from hoop dreams into hood dreams. That backfired sooner than later on Foogiano when his actions began gaining the attention of the law. He was only 14-years-old when he caught his first case on robbery charges. After doing about 1 year in juve, he was back out on his shenanigans in the streets. In Greensboro, Foogiano said there was nothing but trouble to get into since there was nothing productive for the youth https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (4:48-5:00)
Crazy enough, he only met his father after he did time in juve. He was 15-years-old https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (7:33-7:38) but that didn’t change the direction he was going. Foogiano had the talent, he just didn’t know it yet. He used to write poetry and his little brother always saw his potential pushing him to rap https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (7:03-7:18) Unfortunately he never took it serious and continued down the path of the street. That nearly cost him everything when he found himself doing time when he turned 20. A witness would call 911 and alert authorities of suspicious activity after two men were dropped off by a red car on Lakeover Drive and then disappeared behind a residence. Police reports detail that officers stopped the car on Lake Forest Drive while other officers spotted two suspects jump from the window of the home on Lakeover Drive and take off running. After a foot chase both were apprehended near Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School off Tallassee Road. The suspects were Foogiano and one of his home boys. He would be charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer and be sentenced to 3 years behind bars.
https://www.onlineathens.com/article/20131210/NEWS/312109993
But just as his life seemed to be over, he met and became friends with an inmate by the name of Lo who finished the job his little brother started and pushed him towards the right direction. They were bunkmates and Foogiano always vibed how good Lo was at rapping. That’s when Lo spoke some wisdom into Foogiano, motivating him to go the rapping route and make mills rather than be back on the outside robbing and stealing https://youtu.be/_Ksl7rnE4-8 (8:02-9:40) Foogiano came out of prison and did just that. He released his first song “Gutta” on October 2017 https://youtu.be/EorcVx99dGY The reception on the song was nothing but positive feedback which was enough to steer Foogiano to focus on music seriously https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (6:19-6:45)
He did just that, entering a contest by Boomman’s Authentic Empire Music Group
for a 10K prize and a deal to sign to the label. Foogiano would win the competition https://youtu.be/-ZCxPnOtsKc (3:44-4:25) Foogiano wasted no time, dropping his first track under his now deal, his breakout hit “Molly (Baby Mama)” which was a diss to his BM https://youtu.be/PfTQcl6Q6CE To date the track has 106 million views on YouTube with a major follow up remix with mainstream rapper, Da Baby https://youtu.be/H4OFqF4_3T0 That single got Gucci Mane’s attention as well as big players in the industry. On the same day he inked a deal with Atlantic, he got the call from Gucci to be on his 1017 label https://youtu.be/lnqpb5F9Jko (13:52-14:45) Foogiano was taking off into mainstream status and it looked like his past was behind him and his future was bright https://youtu.be/-dMCiDVqRhg https://youtu.be/ApfwS8jRPaA
Keeping it real, Foogiano took all his day ones to the top with him https://youtu.be/PL_-J4MypP4 (1:03-1:17) But that seat at the top would soon be threatened. In July of 2020 at a live performance at Lavish Lounge bar and nightclub on White Horse Road in Greenville County, Foogiano’s alleged entourage would get into it with someone in the crowd and open fire, injuring 8 persons and ending the life of two innocent bystanders https://youtu.be/ybk8FTvnOwM (2:06-2:10) https://youtu.be/JuNWwfXaHpk
Officers stated that from video evidence released from within the club, a member on stage believed to be Foogiano’s crew threw up gang signs instigating an altercation that broke out between him and someone in front the stage. Soon after guns were drawn and sprayed https://youtu.be/z5hkbOsa_Ms
Four members of Foogiano’s crew which law enforcement marked as the suspects have been labeled wanted
With one by the name Jarquez Cooper being arrested and charged with 2 counts of murder and 7 counts of attempted murder https://youtu.be/-6kJS8ePSRQ
This made Foogiano the prime target of law enforcement and sure enough they caught him lacking on December 6th 2020 in Barrow County, GA, when an officer stopped his 2006 Chrysler 300 for an alleged faulty brake light and dark tinted windows. The officer then stated he smelled marijuana and upon searching the vehicle found a large sum of cash and Glock 19 9mm pistol with an attached Viridian laser light in the backseat where Foogiano was sitting. The officer would soon find out that Foogiano was a convicted felon, and it all went downhill from there. He was arrested and booked for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon due to the violation of his burglary conviction we detailed earlier.
Foogiano was released on 50K bond with restrictions that included an ankle monitor as well as orders to stay in his home state of Georgia https://youtu.be/bpUg4m8nn7s (0:00-1:00) In a clip of his release from prison, a gun can be seen at the floor of the car that came to pick him up.
Could be a licensed weapon to his mans but given he just got off on bond for being pulled over and having a gun in the whip, I’d say better be safe than sorry and at least not capture the strap in a vid to post online.
Maybe what happened next was the reason he was so careless or just didn’t care. With the same day of his release, Foogiano’s freedom was left hanging in the wind when a Georgia Department of Community Service officer received notice that his ankle monitor was being tampered with. Investigating the issue, officers tracked the location of the monitor but all they found on the side of a highway in Barrow County, Ga. was just the monitor with no Foogiano. Reports state that Foogiano appeared to melt off the straps and do the race.
https://www.xxlmag.com/foogiano-arrested-on-the-run-from-authorities/
Given that he was just basically given a slap on the wrist and released, the law was sure to bring the full force of its penalty down for taking their kindness lightly.
What’s even crazier, is that Foogiano wan’t even trying to hide. He was flexing racks on racks on racks on his IG story like any other day https://youtu.be/WbGNIFqfRV0 (7:14-7:25)
It was like he was living a real-life movie. It got even wilder. Foogiano not only cut off his ankle monitor, did the race, and was online like normal, but he also linked up with persons and did a whole music video for his song “Free Foo” https://youtu.be/F1WSkKqKKl0 https://youtu.be/pFCz9_lJhZ8 https://youtu.be/ibM9k35sEcc
Foogiano was basically mocking the cops in front the world. It’s no surprise that it wasn’t going to end well for the Greensboro spitter.
U.S. Marshals played his game for months while choosing the perfect time to swoop in and capture the rapper turned fugitive. According to reports, that time was in Tennessee when they got a lock on his location on a private residence in Memphis. While authorities refuse to say how they tracked him, many speculate it was at Poo Shiesty’s brother funeral and Marshals waited for that specific moment to make their move https://youtu.be/Zkc55WJu7YY
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9541338/foogiano-arrested-federal-agents
In a call from prison after he was arrested, Foogiano looked in good spirits and was optimistic about his release to be turning up the heat on the industry https://youtu.be/IZBnb7tAHvw (1:16-2:11). Even going as far as plugging artists he’s building for his label like everything was fine. But on Tuesday May 4, after Foogiano plead guilty to tampering with his ankle monitor and going on the run for months, a judge in Georgia’s Greene County Superior Court took that dream away when he was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Authentic Empire founder Boomman would break the news and demand something be done for what he called injustice, but what else did they expect? While it may seem harsh, everyone has their limit and Foogiano was given another chance to be a free man. It was a bad move to think he could go on the run while making a music video mocking the cops and think it would be fine.
Foogiano has since started a Free Foo campaign to champion for his release
Even getting the backing of 1017 leader Gucci Mane himself
Foogiano is a father with kids that love and miss him https://youtu.be/lm9ticSOB3c so I wish this on no one, but dudes really need to think about all this when choosing to make these kinds of decisions. He was basically climbing to the top with hit singles like Trapper https://youtu.be/XU8uj18j_z4 with a big remix from one of the hottest rappers out now, Lil Baby https://youtu.be/2YnGEp8wqeY Not to mention his hit 2020 major debut album “Gutta Baby”
Most we can do is pray he learns from this and if he is able to make it back out without doing the 5 years, he focuses on music and embracing his future as an artist. Prayers up for bro. Condolences to the lives lost at the Lavish club.
Catch you all in the next one. Peace up and peace out.
Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.
