Big30 has the green light to record music again, but under strict supervision.
A federal judge granted the Memphis rapper's request to loosen one condition of his pretrial release, allowing him to travel for recording sessions while facing federal charges in the Gucci Mane kidnapping case that he’s involved in with rapper and close associate Pooh Shiesty.
Judge David L. Horan in Dallas issued the order on July 7. The ruling, reviewed by Complex, lets Big30, whose legal name is Rodney Lamont Wright Jr., travel to Memphis for recording studio sessions and music production meetings, but only after obtaining prior court approval for each visit.
The terms are tight. Before any approved session, Wright must submit the studio address, his scheduled hours, and the names of everyone else who will be present. He is barred from traveling anywhere outside those pre-approved locations and cannot communicate with any of his eight co-defendants.
His attorneys filed the motion on June 15, framing it as a narrow, employment-focused request. Per the filing, the motion sought only a "controlled, employment-specific exception" and left home detention, location monitoring, drug testing, and all other existing conditions untouched.
The filing cited Wright's ongoing obligations to N Less Entertainment and Connect Music, stating: "These obligations create a need for access to professional recording studios and production personnel in the Memphis area." NLess Entertainment general manager Kemario Brown has previously testified that Wright has been signed to the label since 2019 and was approaching a seven-figure distribution deal.
Letters backing the motion came from executives at both labels and from Shelby County Commissioner Miska Clay Bibbs, who wrote that Wright's efforts "reflect a consistent commitment to using his platform positively and to maintaining meaningful engagement with the communities that have supported him from the inception of his career."
Prosecutors allege that on January 10, Wright and others forced Gucci Mane at gunpoint to sign documents releasing Shiesty from his record deal, and that the group robbed victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, and cash. Prosecutors further allege that Wright barricaded the studio door during the incident and that one victim was choked to near unconsciousness. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould called it a "coordinated, armed takeover" of the studio at an April press conference. Wright and Pooh Shiesty have both pleaded not guilty.
The trial for all nine defendants, originally set for July 6, has been pushed to February 22, 2027.
