When Is BG Being Released From Federal Prison? The Former Hot Boys Rapper May Be Out Soon
His presence is definitely missed!
getty Lil Wayne (real name: Dwayne Michael Carter) didn't just appear on our pop culture radar out of nowhere. In fact, he was originally known for merely being one-fourth of the hip hop collective known as the Hot Boys, which was formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1997.
And while Lil Wayne — along with his Hot Boys compatriot, Juvenile (remember that song "Back That Azz Up"? Here's a fun fact: the last verse on that classic club banger is provided courtesy of Lil Wayne, and was the first time "Drop It Like It's Hot" was uttered on wax!) — were the two breakout stars of the collective, there's one member who, while not as well-known in the mainstream, is still regarded highly by those "in the know" about hip hop.
So, who is BG, and when is BG being released from prison?
Let's look at what we know about this highly underrated rapper.
1. Who is BG? He's single-handedly responsible for a popular slang term entering our lexicon.
Have you ever referred to a particularly bedazzled or otherwise shiny object as "blingy" or "blinged-out" or, just simply, as "bling"? You have BG of the Hot Boys to thank.
Born Christopher Noel Dorsey in 1980 in Louisiana, BG (short for "Baby Gangsta") joined the Hot Boys after he met up with Bryan Williams (known as "Birdman") in a barbershop. The quartet was rounded out by a rapper known as Turk (real name: Tab Virgil Jr.), and dropped their first album in 1997. After a dispute with how Birdman was running Cash Money Records, BG struck out on his own, but remained on good terms with the other three Hot Boys. BG's debut solo album, Chopper City in the Ghetto, was released shortly after Juvenile (real name: Terius Gray) released 400 Degreez, the album which contained the smash song "Back That Azz Up." But while Chopper City in the Ghetto wasn't as popular in the mainstream as 400 Degreez, the album gave us a song whose slang would forever enter our lexicon: "Bling Bling."
2. He claimed Cash Money Records tried to "screw him" out of money that was owed to him.
"I was young. I didn't know any better. I looked up to them and respected them. I felt like they wouldn't do me like that, but I was wrong. [Baby] calls himself the Birdman, but he wants to bird feed me. It's cool, you f***ed me over and I learned my lesson. It's time for me to move on," he said about his former label.
3. Lil Wayne has tried several times to have a Hot Boys reunion.
To all four of the Hot Boys' credit, everyone seems to have remained on good terms, regardless of their label disputes. Lil Wayne, however, has been the most proactive in trying to put together a formal Hot Boys reunion. As late as 2019, Lil Wayne has said that he's been desperate to reunite with all of his former Hot Boys compatriots, and was "plotting" to make it happen.
4. But both Turk and BG's jail sentences have prevented a formal Hot Boys reunion.
Despite Lil Wayne's best efforts, various legal troubles have prevented a formal Hot Boys reunion. In 2004, Turk was involved in a shootout that resulted in two police officers being injured. He was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison for a variety of charges, including attempted murder. He was released from prison in 2012. Shortly after Turk was released from prison in 2012, BG was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and for conspiracy to obstruct justice. He sits in jail to this day.
5. Is BG coming home soon?
The hip hop community lit up when Turk took to his Twitter to announce that BG would "be home soon" from prison. "BG be home, get ready!" Turk wrote.
6. When is BG being released from prison? Turk later walked back that statement and explained when he'd be be out.
After Turk's statement got fans excited about the prospect of a formal Hot Boys reunion, Turk realized he jumped the gun a little, and took back to Twitter to walk back on his earlier statement of "BG be home." He made clear that BG will, most likely, be serving the entirety of his sentence but that since only a couple of years are left, he'll be home sooner rather than later.
Regardless, we hope that when BG finally does get out of prison, that fans can finally have their much-anticipated Hot Boys reunion.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.