03 Greedo, the Watts-born rapper who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison at the height of his career, might be coming home relatively soon. Fans of the west coast rapper began speculating on social media after Greedo’s parole status was updated to “approved” on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.
Jeff Weiss, a well-known music reporter and editor who interviewed Greedo in 2020 for the Washington Post, disputed the rumors on Twitter. “Greedo has not yet been approved for parole. However, I spoke to his family this morning and it’s looking positive,” Weiss tweeted.
Greedo has not yet been approved for parole. However, I spoke to his family this morning and it's looking positive.
Nothing definite yet, but there is definitely cause for optimism.
https://t.co/donngo9qJ0
— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) June 22, 2022
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website, Greedo became eligible for parole back in August of 2020. The website notes that Greedo’s last parole decision was “approved” last week on condition that he completes “a program prior to release.” His projected release date is currently September 2026.
The 34 year old rapper known for his hit record ‘Substance,’ has spent the past four years in a federal prison system in Texas, where some inmates still pick cotton. Greedo was convicted in 2018 on two charges related to a 2016 arrest for weapons and drugs possession.
Doug Smith, a senior policy analyst with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, described the facility that Greedo was being held in at the time as “an indescribably awful hell,” during an interview with Weiss. Smith also noted that during the pandemic there were issues with getting people released who were parole-approved.
Greedo’s arrest appeared to be a classic example of a pretextual stop (when police use a minor infraction, such as busted headlight, in hopes of discovering a more serious crime). Greedo was a passenger in a vehicle when they were pulled over for a vehicle infraction. Officers claimed they smelled marijuana and subsequently searched the car, revealing multiple pounds of methamphetamine and stolen guns, but no marijuana was ever found.
Historically, pretextual stops have proved to be ineffective and have had a disproportionate impact on people of color. In some cases they violate people’s civil liberties. Greedo blames two incomptetent lawyers for not fighting harder against what he believes was an illegal search, like his co-defendant’s counsel did. Greedo has new representation now working to make sure he’s home before 2038.
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