XXL<\/em> last November via Zoom, during his very first interview since being released from prison on Oct. 6, 2025. \u201cNo phone, no nothing, you know? Just freedom, just space and privacy.\u201d<\/p>\nThe 26-year-old multiplatinum-selling artist feels blessed that he\u2019s able to get back in the booth and move at his own pace instead of one directed by orders from COs. Not everyone who serves time gets a second chance to be back outside. After pleading guilty in 2022, to conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of violent and drug trafficking crimes for a robbery and shooting that occurred in July of 2020, he was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. Late last year, he made his way back home, this time, securing a residence in Texas.<\/p>\n
For someone whose life once moved at a relentless pace\u2014studio sessions, performances and travel\u2014the quiet moments now feel essential. Pooh is on home confinement, which requires a certain kind of self-discipline. He can do as he pleases, but within reason.<\/p>\n
Pooh describes what his days usually look like, starting at 5:30 a.m. \u201cI like to get up early, sit back and think, or I stay up all the way towards early and sleep,\u201d he mentions. \u201cDuring the day, I work out, write music, make music, record, and keep planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mindset defines the current space he\u2019s in. Life has slowed down in ways that allow him to make time for things he once took for granted.<\/p>\n
Building a Creative Space
<\/strong><\/p>\nMaking music has always been central to Pooh Shiesty\u2019s rap identity, and he\u2019s recreated the environment he needs to stay productive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a studio,\u201d he says. \u201cI had a studio my engineer brought with him down here where I\u2019m at. I got a studio I ordered. It\u2019s like a mobile studio. Then I got studios I go to, too, that\u2019s out here when I get my passes or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n
His time in the Lone Star State gave him the calm setting he needed to refocus. \u201cIn Texas, it felt like I had a good judgment, you know? I picked the right place. It’s cool, it’s collected, calm. It\u2019s just chill. It’s what I wanted, what I imagined being in there [in prison].\u201d<\/p>\n
That atmosphere\u2014void of some of the distractions that once clouded his view\u2014allows him to stay locked in creatively.<\/p>\n
A New Approach to Recording
<\/strong><\/p>\nBefore his incarceration, the rapper relied heavily on punching in when making music. His 2021 mixtape, Shiesty Season<\/em>, and the Lil Durk-assisted, eight-times platinum hit \u201cBack in Blood\u201d highlight that approach.<\/p>\n\u201cBefore I went to jail, I wasn\u2019t writing at all,\u201d he admits. \u201cI was just punching in and just going to the microphone.\u201d That changed dramatically once he was inside. \u201cBut when I went in, I just been writing, writing, writing, writing, like, whatever free time I get to the point to where, you know, I got raps that\u2019s taller than me, that\u2019s up to my hips.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those stacks of lyrics became the inspiration for what would eventually become his first day out track. But prison life also meant constant movement and restrictions that made it hard to hold onto everything he created.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I was being moved so much that I had so much property that wasn\u2019t allowed, like, I was exceeding the limit,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo, a lot of my property ended up getting took. Not by nobody or no inmates or nothing, but by just it being too much, you know? So, you might get a person that ain\u2019t willing to help you or whatever, he throw away everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, he lost almost all of the lyrics he wrote. \u201cSo, I had that happen to me, like a year-and-a-half before I finna get out. So I had to start all the way over, for real.\u201d The setback forced him to put an end to a unique strategy. \u201cI had a plan for every rap. I was just gonna come home, go to the studio, put all my raps on my wall. And as I recorded, I was gonna take it down until the wall clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that plan gone, he starting writing from scratch again. \u201cSo, now I\u2019m going extra hard,\u201d he insists. \u201cI ain\u2019t going to sleep unless I make like three songs, even if it ain\u2019t fully verses on there or it just a hook or whatever, but I gotta have, like, three different type of songs and flows and styles.\u201d<\/p>\n
He showcases all of that on \u201cFDO,” the first song he released since coming home. The five-minute, no-hook track finds Mr. Pooh unleashing a heavy arsenal of quotables fresh out the Feds. \u201cWhen you meet me, you gon\u2019 get real motivated, same day,\u201d he boasts on the song, released on Dec. 12, 2025, and produced by his longtime producer TP 808s. \u201cFDO\u201d climbed to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached more than 34 million Spotify streams, and its accompanying music video, in which he flexes his rose gold car collection, has more than 45 million YouTube views.<\/p>\n
He just copped a $500,000 2026 Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC to celebrate \u201cFDO\u201d going No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That\u2019s some serious motivation moving into his debut album, set for release later this year through 1017 Global Music\/Atlantic Records.<\/p>\n
Bringing More Energy Back to Rap
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Pooh Shiesty\u2019s mission isn\u2019t just releasing music\u2014it’s restoring a certain feeling to the genre. \u201cI want that assertiveness, the aggressiveness,\u201d he maintains. \u201cIt’s like music was getting a little too passive for me. I need to be in that mode to where you feeling what I\u2019m saying, and if even you don\u2019t understand what I\u2019m saying, you can feel it because you know my situation.\u201d<\/p>\nThat energy helped define his early rise with tracks like \u201cHell Night\u201d with Big30 and remains central to his vision moving forward.<\/p>\n
Evolving After Five Years
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It\u2019s been five years since fans last heard a full project from him, and he knows expectations are high. \u201cI need to get this new music out here because Shiesty Season<\/em>, don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s some timeless music on there, but I think this [new music] is a little bit different,\u201d Pooh reveals. Time and experience have changed him.<\/p>\n\u201cYou gotta think about it,\u201d he continues. \u201cThat was, like, five years ago exactly. I evolve and adapt every day and get better and better and grow up every day, so y\u2019all ain\u2019t really heard nothing in five years except for that \u2018Federal Contraband [2].\u2019\u201d In 2023, Pooh dropped the song while locked up. And in case anyone forgot: \u201cI experienced what I be rappin\u2019, sh*t ain\u2019t on me, it\u2019s in me,\u201d he delivers on the song. There\u2019s no denying that.<\/p>\n
Faith, Family and Music as Motivation
<\/strong><\/p>\nDuring the toughest moments inside, Pooh Shiesty leaned heavily on faith, family and music.
\u201cYou got all three of them,\u201d he conveys. \u201cFaith, being blessed, knowing that I\u2019m blessed and the situation could be way worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spirituality became a deeper part of his life. \u201cI believe in God most definitely,\u201d Shiesty says. \u201cWouldn\u2019t be here talking to you without God.\u201d He spent a lot of time reading scripture and praying. \u201cI was reading the Bible, you know, I love the Bible. I love the book. I was praying a lot, too. I always prayed, you know? And when I pray, I like talk to him, you know? I just try to get a connection with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
That connection grew stronger over time. \u201cI know me being on the streets, from me going in there to coming out now, I can say my connection with God is way closer than what it was.\u201d
He also watched the people around him grow older while he was away. \u201cMy family, watching them grow up, everybody that was just, that was 10 years old, they 15 now. Everybody that was 15 years old, 20 now. They growing up and they need me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His grandmother, in particular, has helped shape his worldview. A big Christian, according to Pooh, she showed him how to be strong and how to get up and work. When he first came home last October, a video of him and his grandmother went viral because she wasn\u2019t too fond of his dreadlocks. \u201cShe like, \u2018Get them snakes up out your head,\u2019 you know?\u201d he remembers with a laugh. As \u201cGrandma\u2019s baby,\u201d Pooh\u00a0knows that she accepts him for who he is, but he might make the change for her and cut them off. \u201cYeah, at some point,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
He admired the longstanding marriage between his grandparents, especially after his grandfather passed away while he was incarcerated. \u201cShe was hurt,\u201d he recalls. \u201cShe was tore up, but she kept it all together. She a real smart lady. I love her.\u201d<\/p>\n
But above all, music kept his mind active. \u201cMusic, of course, was like 90 percent of my bid,\u201d he states. \u201cIf we just talking about being in the inside or whatever.\u201d Even while locked up, he stayed tapped into the rap world, listening to artists like EST Gee, Big30 and Kevin Gates through a tablet, radio or old-school mp3 player. He also gravitated toward motivational books like The 33 Strategies of War<\/em> and Rich Dad Poor Dad<\/em>.<\/p>\nA Clearer Mind
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Sobriety has also transformed Shiesty\u2019s life. His past lean use affected him in different ways, but now he\u2019s living cleaner. \u201cMy appetite got way better,\u201d he admits. \u201cI used to be tore up to the point where I barely can eat nothing or I\u2019ll go all day without eating.\u201d Now the difference is obvious. \u201cI can eat way better, got a better appetite, got a clear mind, I can see clear. Make a lot of rational decisions now.\u201d<\/p>\nFriends and fans even notice the change in his appearance. \u201cI\u2019m glowing now,\u201d he laughs. \u201cThey be saying I\u2019m glowing now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The transformation goes deeper than physical health. \u201cI\u2019m way smarter, way faster, way more business-oriented,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Building Something Bigger
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Looking ahead, Shiesty is expanding his ambitions beyond music. His CMO brand reflects that broader vision. The rhymer is a CEO and moving accordingly.<\/p>\n\u201cCMO, that\u2019s the brand,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat\u2019s the image. That\u2019s the new way we pushing with trying to start these reform groups and these nonprofits and this record label.\u201d The acronym carries multiple meanings. \u201cCMO stand for Can\u2019t Miss Opportunities or Chasing More Opportunities. Certified Members Only.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nonprofit side is particularly important to him. \u201cThat\u2019s what we’re on right now,\u201d he divulges. \u201cWe trying to help these kids and better their future and clean up the community.\u201d Shiesty also plans to build a roster for his label. \u201cI got a couple artists in mind,\u201d he affirms. \u201cSince I been out, I been just sitting back and looking.\u201d Some of those artists are people he knew before prison, while others are individuals he met during his time inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a couple artists that I met incarcerated,\u201d Pooh details. \u201cThe best talents be in there.\u201d If everything aligns, he\u2019s ready to bring them into the fold.<\/p>\n
The Road Ahead
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His future is about going up\u2014personally, creatively and professionally. \u201cMan, long-term goals is just elevating, period,\u201d Pooh expresses. \u201cBeing able to go tour, being able to drop this music, being able to just perform and pop out and, you know, just take back over.\u201d He doesn\u2019t hesitate when talking about what\u2019s to come. \u201c2026 is the takeover year.\u201d<\/p>\nHis future is about going up\u2014personally, creatively and professionally. \u201cMan, long-term goals is just elevating, period,\u201d Pooh expresses. \u201cBeing able to go tour, being able to drop this music, being able to just perform and pop out and, you know, just take back over.\u201d He doesn\u2019t hesitate when talking about what\u2019s to come. \u201c2026 is the takeover year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since February, Pooh has been teasing new music across social media. Snippets of solo material, plus collabs with fellow Memphis rapper K. Carbon (he may appear on her forthcoming track \u201cOuuuu Sh*tt\u201d) and rising rapper Trim (the \u201cBoat Remix\u201d arrives March 20) prove Mr. Pooh has been active. There could be a drop with longtime friend Big30 on the horizon as well. With the success of \u201cFDO\u201d like a super-charged battery in his back, what he\u2019s cooking up for his debut album will be worth the wait.<\/p>\n
While his excitement for an album sure to have rap fans and the streets talking is palpable, Pooh Shiesty hasn\u2019t forgotten those still behind bars. \u201cEverybody still locked up, incarcerated, you know, y\u2019all ain\u2019t missing nothing out here, but a new iPhone. Keep y\u2019all head up. Stay out the way. Stay away from the 4Gs. Get through that time, keep y\u2019all chin up. Free everybody locked down doing calendars. Big Blrrrd.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that message in mind, one thing is clear: Shiesty Season is here.<\/p>\n
Listen to Pooh Shiesty’s Shiesty Season<\/em> Album<\/h3>\n\n
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See All the Rappers Touring in 2026<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n