It's been a minute since the world has seen Bobby Shmurda in person, but over the past couple of months, fans have been able to catch a few glimpses of the rapper even though he's still behind bars.
Yesterday, some new photos of man behind the massive hit song "Hot N***a" were shared on various social media outlets, which show a startling transformation in Shmurda's physique. Gone are his days as the beanpole rapper who looked every bit his early-20's age - now, he's far stockier, with a buff upper body and some better proportionality going on between his head and everything from the shoulders down. Seen crouching down in of the photos, wearing a white polo shirt and some dark navy jeans, he certainly looks like he's packed on the muscle since being locked up. A second picture shows him standing, presumably with his mother, once again shows off his newfound physique. At least on a physical level, prison has definitely brought an unmistakable change to Bobby.
Shmurda was jailed in 2014, after being convicted on gang conspiracy charges. His original sentence was for seven years, but he added four additional years onto that in early 2017 after being found carrying a prison shank he has obtained from one of his visitors. In a previous report, his attorney, Alex Spiro, expects that he'll be released within three and a half years, as long as the former rapper doesn't partake in any additional activities that could lead to further sentence lengthening.
"Hot N***a" was the anthem that broke him to a wide audience, with the accompanying album rising all the way to No. 6 on the Billboard 200. That led to his signing with Epic Records, a deal that looked to be very promising for both parties involved. There's no telling if Shmurda can pick up where he left off whenever he emerges from prison. His enormous potential tantalized rap audiences across the globe, but will his time away from the rap game affect his ability to make any more music once he's out? Will he even have interest in doing so? Only time will tell at this point.