Boosie Badazz is heading into a pivotal federal sentencing hearing on a gun possession case, with prosecutors reportedly seeking a two-year prison term on January 9 in San Diego, while the Baton Rouge rapper simultaneously appeals to Donald Trump for a presidential pardon. According to AllHipHop and court-linked reports, the case stems from a 2023 firearm arrest and has become one of the most closely watched legal battles involving a major hip-hop artist.[2][3]
Federal prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release after Boosie, born Torence Hatch Jr., pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.[2][3] The charge arises from a June 2023 incident in San Diego, where police reportedly discovered a handgun during a traffic stop following investigators identifying Boosie with a firearm on social media.[2][3] Prosecutors argue that, as a convicted felon, his possession of the weapon warrants real prison time under federal law, even as they acknowledge mitigating factors, including his decision to plead guilty and his difficult upbringing.[1][3]
Boosie’s legal team, led by attorney Meghan Blanco, has filed a sentencing memorandum asking the judge to impose no prison time, instead requesting two years of structured probation and 300 hours of community service.[1][3] In that filing, his defense characterizes the offense as a “lapse in judgment” after roughly a decade without criminal conduct, emphasizing that the incident was nonviolent, resulted in no injuries, and involved no identified victim.[1][3] The memo also notes that Boosie was previously shot in Texas, allegedly heightening his concern for personal safety and influencing his decision to carry a firearm.[1][3]
Outside the courtroom, Boosie has mounted an unusual parallel campaign: lobbying Donald Trump for clemency. According to AllHipHop, the rapper hired Washington, D.C.–based lobbying firm J.M. Burkman & Associates to seek a presidential pardon on his behalf.[2] Lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl are reportedly advocating for relief from the current case, describing Boosie as a “rapper and world-class musician.”[2] Boosie has also taken his plea directly to Trump on X (formerly Twitter), claiming his state case was previously dismissed and accusing the current administration’s Department of Justice of recharging him with “the same gun charge.”[2]
The outcome of Boosie Badazz’s January 9 sentencing could resonate well beyond his own career, landing at the intersection of hip-hop, federal gun enforcement, and presidential clemency politics. Trump previously granted clemency or pardons in high-profile federal firearm cases involving Lil Wayne, Kodak Black, and NBA YoungBoy, making Boosie’s bid part of a wider pattern of rap artists turning to the executive branch for relief.[2] Whether the judge follows prosecutors’ two-year recommendation or aligns more closely with Boosie’s request for probation, the decision will help define the next chapter of one of Southern rap’s most outspoken and controversial figures.[1][2][3]
