Bobby Shmurda is giving fans an unfiltered look at his time inside Rikers Island, one of the most notorious jails in the United States.
In a recent sit-down with Ian Bick on Locked In, the Brooklyn rapper described the six years he spent incarcerated, much of which was marked by violence, drugs, and constant transfers between facilities.
"A lot of drugs. Lot of drugs, gang banging," Shmurda recalled when asked about his experience on Rikers. The rapper said he spent significant stretches of time in IPC (Involuntary Protective Custody) and in "the box," referring to solitary confinement. Ironically, he explained that the box was where he preferred to be.
"The box had all the drugs, so I kept going to the box. I'd see all my co-d's, I'd see all the Bloodies, everybody, all the gangbangers, and shit like that, everybody. I'd be in the box with them n****s, wilding and shit like that," Shmurda said. He even admitted to fighting with officers just so he wouldn't be forced to leave. "They'd be like, 'Yo, you gotta leave.' I'd be fighting the police: 'Pack me up! I ain't going nowhere!'"
According to the rapper, time would slip away in the haze of drugs and chaos: "Motherfucker wake up… you smoke a spliff in April, you wake up, it's motherfucking August. Time flying!"
Eventually, Shmurda was kicked out of Rikers and shuffled through multiple county facilities, including Westchester and Rockland. But he was dissatisfied when drugs weren't as accessible as they were back on the Island.
"Rockland, man, ain't no fucking drugs in here. I'm out of here. This shit is wild. This shit look like motherfucking old day care shit. I ain't with none of that shit," he said.
After working with his lawyer, Shmurda returned to Rikers, where he was placed in Administrative Segregation rather than general population. There, he reunited with fellow Brooklyn rappers Rowdy Rebel and Fetty Luciano, continuing to "turn up" until he was sent upstate.
Bobby Shmurda was eventually released from prison on February 23, 2021, after serving about six years of his seven-year sentence. He was placed under parole supervision until February 23, 2026.