
The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

Bobby Shmurda. Dale Edwin Murray for NPR hide caption
Bobby Shmurda.
Dale Edwin Murray for NPRAs soon as Epic Records exec Sha Money XL hit play on the music video for "Hot N****," he knew Brooklyn's Bobby Shmurda was a star in the making. Forget Bobby's casual toss of his New York Knicks fitted, or even the instantly viral Shmoney Dance that follows it: Sha says it was really the rapper's street credibility — his undeniable authenticity — that blew him away on sight. Bobby was in a league of his own at a time when New York hip-hop wasn't popping off. Sha just had to sign him.
But in the eyes of the law, that same authenticity would prove to be Bobby's downfall. Just months after his 2014 breakout hit, Bobby and about a dozen of his friends were arrested and slapped with conspiracy charges in connection with a murder and several other shootings. The case became part of Bobby's legend.
Six years later, Bobby is still making news from behind bars. But over the next three episodes, we'll take you deeper than the headlines.
We head to Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York to meet Bobby for an exclusive in-person interview, tour his neighborhood with his crew, grab a bite at his mom's seafood joint and sit down with Sha Money to hear new details of the studio raid that changed Bobby's life.
What happens when the industry capitalizes on a criminal persona? And do record execs have the juice to back Bobby up when things get too hot?
To follow along with the music in this episode, check out the Louder Than A Riot playlists on Apple Music & Spotify. We'll update them every week.
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