Bobby Shmurda walked out of New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility on Tuesday (February 23) after roughly six years behind bars. Migos rapper Quavo was waiting to whisk him away in a private jet right after he shared an intimate moment with him mother via FaceTime. Apparently, Shmurda had millions of other people awaiting his release, too.
According to an Instagram post from Akademiks, his Instagram followers went from 900,000 to 3.2 million in less than 24 hours. As of Wednesday (February 24), the Brooklyn-bred rapper currently sits at 3.6 million followers.
Meanwhile, it momentarily looked like the New York Knicks had a special surprise in store for Shmurda upon his release.
A photo of the Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan was decorated with a giant billboard featuring Shmurda’s face on the it and the words, “Welcome Home Bobby Shmurda,” a purported grand gesture for the beloved rapper who’s proudly rocking a Knicks hat in the photo.
AD LOADING...
But upon further investigation, it appears the post was simply the handiwork of a fan with wishful thinking who photoshopped the banner onto the side of the building.
The “Hot N-gga” rapper was arrested in 2014 but copped a plea deal in September 2016 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon for his involvement in the GS9 gang. He was originally sentenced to seven years but granted two years credit before the sentence was handed down.
While behind bars, the 26-year-old was hit with 11 violations, including having a prison shiv, drug possession and fighting. Last month, The New York Times reported Shmurda was finally eligible for conditional release after authorities saw a vast improvement in his behavior.
Bobby Shmurda Finally Released From Prison After Serving 6 Years Behind Bars
Shmurda will remain on federal probation until 2026 but in the meantime, he seems intent on making an epic comeback. Shortly before he was granted the conditional release, he shared a five-minute scene from the 1990 Christopher Walken film King Of New York to mark his impending arrival. He wrote in the Instagram caption, “How the fuc y’all forget about me.” Apparently, they haven’t.
