Bobby Shmurda

After nearly seven years, Bobby Shmurda was finally freed from prison on Tuesday. The rapper was welcomed with open arms by the entire music world including Meek Mill and Quavo. In just his first few days out, the rapper has spent much of his time in the spotlight. He even took some time to make a club appearance on Friday, and thanks to a video that was taken during the event, the rapper went viral after he turned down a drink he was offered.

After watching the video, fans shared their theories for why Bobby might not have wanted a drink at that moment, but only a few were right as the rapper gave an explanation on his Instagram story.

“Hell nah a n**** on parole,” he wrote in the post. Given that Bobby was freed from prison on a conditional release, it could be that one requirement of his parole is to refrain from consuming alcohol. The rapper also has no interest in risking a parole violation and possibly returning to jail as he expressed his wishes to stay free during a FaceTime call with Meek that was detailed in his profile with GQ.

“I’m done with that [jail] sh*t,” he said during the call. “I’ll be light-skinned in Jamaica before I go back.”

Another aspect of the video that caught fans’ attention was the fact that Bobby was wearing a mask in the club, something that we haven’t see too many celebrities do during their own events. As a result, they took to Twitter to share their reactions.

You can read them below and watch the video that caused it all above.

Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bobby Shmurda was barely out of his teens when he was locked up for six years on conspiracy charges by New York prosecutors eager to connect him and fellow rapper Rowdy Rebel with a series of crimes supposedly committed by a Brooklyn-based gang. Now, he’s out and wants to be a better role model to young fans, citing one fan letter he received in prison that impressed on him the power of his position as a famous rapper.

In a new profile in GQ by veteran journalist Frazier Tharpe, Bobby explains how receiving the letter convinced him to change his mindset. “It was 2016, I was in the box,” he recalls. “A six-year-old girl wrote to me; she said I was her favorite rapper… That just let me know the kids are watching me, and I have to be a role model.” The experience, he says, prompted him to take music more seriously and commit to his career once he got out. “I didn’t really care too much for it until I went to jail and I seen how the fans were loyal,” he enthuses. “I can’t name a week that I didn’t see at least 10 [pieces] of fan mail, throughout the whole bid.”

After all, he says, the prisons are full of talented Black men from similar environments who weren’t given much to look forward to. “The streets are talented. I saw that shit in jail, all day. There’s basketball players, smart-ass motherf*ckers, n****s who know this or that but just don’t know how to apply their sh*t, or have behavior problems. But n****s not taught to apply their shit where we come from.”

Bobby counts the late, great Nipsey Hussle as one of the examples he intends to follow in the future. “His mind was different. He was saying all the things we were going to do when I got out.”

You can read the full story here.