A Texas federal judge has ruled that Memphis rapper Big30 must be released from custody on a $100,000 bond, delivering a significant pre-trial victory after months of legal back-and-forth tied to the alleged robbery and kidnapping of Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane.
Judge Ed Kinkeade issued the order on Thursday (June 4) following a full briefing process that stretched through late April. The ruling rejected both of the government's core arguments.
"The Court finds that the Government has failed to establish that Wright is a flight risk or that the conditions of release imposed by Judge Christoff will not reasonably assure the safety of any person in the community," the order read. Kinkeade also vacated any stay of the underlying release order, clearing the path for Big30 to walk out of federal custody in Dallas.
The road to that ruling began on April 6, when Magistrate Judge Annie T. Christoff granted the $100,000 bond at a Memphis federal court hearing that drew dozens of supporters for Big30.
Christoff set a $10,000 cash deposit to secure release and imposed conditions including location monitoring, no contact with victims or co-defendants, and drug testing. She described his criminal history as "not flawless, but close to it" and found no clear evidence he possessed a firearm in the current case.
The government filed a motion to stay that order the same day, after which Christoff granted a temporary stay. Judge Kinkeade then ordered Big30 to remain detained and transferred to Texas on April 7, meaning the bond Big30 had already paid went unhonored.
During the Texas review, prosecutors pressed two main arguments: that Big30's criminal past made him a danger, pointing to a 2018 gun charge he pleaded guilty to before receiving diversion and having the record expunged; and that an incoming seven-figure distribution deal gave him the financial means to flee. Kemario Brown, general manager at NLess Entertainment, testified that Big30 was in the process of signing the contract.
The defense countered with evidence of stable ties. Big30's father, Rodney Wright Sr., testified that his son lives with him, establishing a known home address. Brown also testified that Big30 had been signed to NLess Entertainment since 2019. Those arguments, which had already persuaded Magistrate Judge Christoff in April, held up in Kinkeade's review.
Big30 (real name Rodney Lamont Wright Jr.) is one of nine defendants charged with robbing and kidnapping multiple victims at a Dallas music studio, including Gucci Mane (real name Radric Davis). He has pleaded not guilty.
He will be released under home detention and electronic monitoring ahead of the July 6 trial date for all nine defendants. Co-defendant Pooh Shiesty remains in federal custody after being denied bond in the case.
Late last month, Shiesty’s father, Lontrell Williams Sr., secured his own release from federal custody after being granted bond.
Complex has reached out to Big30’s lawyer for further comment.
