Latest news with #LarryHoover
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pardoning celebs like NBA YoungBoy doesn't mean Trump is after the Black vote
I like the rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, also known as NBA YoungBoy. Not in a recite-his-lyrics sense, but if I hear him at LA Fitness, his melodic delivery can carry me through a tough bench press. And frankly, if you like rap music, he's impossible to avoid. He's a chart-topping platinum-selling — well, what are 'platinum sales' in an era where everyone streams (read: rents) music? — artist, and he's got a 28-city tour planned. So, the success and popularity is real. When Donald Trump pardoned NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, from his gun-related charges, some might imagine the president was trying to reach me. Trump's clemency also included commuting the federal sentence of Larry Hoover, an aging Chicago gangster whom rappers like Drake, Chance the Rapper and Kanye West have long advocated for, further advancing the idea that he's making for my demo. After all, I'm Black. I only yawned, like, four times at my last rap concert, which means I can still claim youth-adjacency until the grays take over. I'd rather our country's criminal legal system pursue alternative means of holding people accountable for serious misconduct than stuffing them in a prison cell. I'm glad YoungBoy is home. Rolling Stone's Andre Gee, the strongest modern chronicler of the intersection of hip hop, politics and the potential for a rightward shift, described it as a 'cheap appeal to Black voters.' If Gee is right, this move was particularly destitute. For starters: Hoover still has to serve his state-level multiple life sentences. Though just a few months into his second term, Trump has sought to censor the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture's frank chronicling of racial history and promised to 'Strengthen and Unleash America's Law Enforcement' by reducing measures for police accountability. (What was that NWA song? 'Hug Tha Police'? Forgive me, I only heard the Kids Bop version.) Who really wants a president who pardons the occasional Black celebrity but bans your ability to explain how they ended up behind bars and why you want them freed? This administration doesn't merely demand cognitive dissonance; its contradictions are enshrined in law. The Trump regime has attacked diversity initiatives at every chance, smearing efforts intended to increase Black (among other underrepresented groups) opportunity in business and education and defunding scientific inquiry intended to benefit Black people. Which is why I'm unsure that I am in Trump's target audience. I don't believe he's after my demographic of young, Black male rap fans eligible to vote, either. But, if you're reading this and you don't identify as a young minority, I think he's going after you. In February, I watched a right-wing PAC-sponsored Black History Month teaching event and left with a different education than they intended. Rather than hearing thoughtful analysis of Martin and Malcolm, Rosa and Fannie, Sojourner, Harriet and the intertwined legacies of Black scholars, politicians, activists, and entertainers of the past, I witnessed a Black man teach his mostly white audience how to persuade Black people to vote for Republicans. I wrote at the time that persuading Black people to adopt racially conservative politics was an 'uphill battle.' A few months passed, and I no longer believe that was the primary concern, the more important goal was validating and reinforcing the worldview of people who were already racial conservatives. Trump's onslaught of plainly discriminatory, violent policies might be the greatest threat to racial conservatism. Many of Trump's anti-DEI pushes have loudly backfired — the administration was more or less shamed out of stripping Jackie Robinson's military history from the Department of Defense. Retail giant Target's compliance with the Trump administration provoked significant boycotts with plummeting earnings. The ugly, often illegal and frequently terrifying disappearances, including graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, Real Madrid superfan Jerce Reyes, and makeup artist Andry Hernandez Romero, is hardly winning friends to the movement. Some Trump voters won't care. As Tarrant County Republican chair Bo French loves to remind his X (formerly Twitter) followers, he voted for this! You might enjoy, for example, that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the father of three who was mistakenly deported still remains in a Salvadorian cell, despite the pleas of his wife and community. But maintaining such a stance probably puts you in the minority: a recent NYT/Sienna poll found that just 31% of Americans approve of how Trump handled Abrego's case, and 51% overall disapprove of his approach to immigration, an issue that was once a winning part of the Trump campaign's appeal to voters. Which brings me back to understanding the political utility of pardoning YoungBoy or Hoover. (Or, from Trump's first term, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.) Positive press and a photo op around a Black celebrity isn't recruitment so much as it rallies the troops, allowing those who desire a chance to rationalize what they've done. Such stunts may pick up a few Black supporters. Not that many, but some. But whatever gains Trump may make with Black Americans pale in comparison to what it means symbolically for his base. Establishing his soft spot for the occasional Black celebrity indicates that maybe he's not so bad. And if he's an all-right guy, well, so are his voters. We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news — and to publish those views in the Opinion section. • Letters should be no more than 150 words. • Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. • Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: • Email letters@ (preferred). • Fill out this online form. Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Trump's pardoning of Black celebrities is a cynical ploy
This week, Trump issued two dozen presidential pardons to a motley crew of wrongdoers, including shady politicians, fraudulent CEOs and other wealthy ne'er-do-wells. On that list were the Louisiana rapper NBA YoungBoy (whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden) and the Chicago gangster Larry Hoover. Regardless of where you stand on American carceral culture and what we know about the ways the criminal justice system squashes Black people who have the misfortune of interacting with it, Trump handing out pardons to Hoover and Gaulden isn't the magnanimous or justice-focused move he wants us to believe it is. Instead, it's a clear effort to garner support from the Black community by way of its big names. Gaulden, for his part, was convicted on gun-related charges and sentenced to just under two years in prison. He had already been released and this pardon just means he won't have to follow through with his probation conditions. For Hoover, Trump granted a commutation of his federal prison sentence; the former Gangster Disciples leader was serving six life sentences on conspiracy, extortion, drug and other criminal charges. Still, the 74-year-old won't be coming home (he's still on the hook for murder in the state of Illinois, a conviction that came with a hefty 200-year jail term). So why is Trump pardoning exactly the kind of people – a gangster and a rapper – whom he despises, and whom he would typically disparage and cast as a danger to American society? The answer is obvious if you've been paying attention: he's done it before – and it seems to have worked. A couple of reasons are often given for Trump's apparent increase in support from Black voters. Some voters believed Trump's claims that Black Americans saw an economic boost under his first presidency, and that he achieved record low unemployment – which isn't the full story. This is not to mention the fact that Black voters have also become increasingly disillusioned with the Democratic party. Still, one has to wonder just how many of the Black voters who switched sides were won over by disingenuous moves like Trump's pardons. Probably the most damning indication of the way Trump views Black Americans – and the instincts that drive his political decisions – are his comments about Black people who have experienced the criminal justice system. At a gala in South Carolina in 2024, Trump said he was getting more Black support thanks to his criminal cases, because Black people, like him, have been historically mistreated by the criminal justice system. 'And then I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time. And a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against,' he said. 'They actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against.' Trump's 'aren't-we-all-just-criminals-at-the-end-of-the-day?' schtick appeals to the kind of famous, moneyed Black people who want to ingratiate themselves with whoever holds power, regardless of who they sell out or what kind of political nightmare they help unleash on the rest of the country. Just look at how many Black male celebrities showed up to his 2025 inauguration; from the rappers Snoop Dogg and Nelly, to newer faces in the industry like Fivio Foreign and Kodak Black; the latter of whom, mind you, was also granted a presidential pardon at the end of Trump's first term. The Trump show is full of these sorts of favors, but is led by a slimy businessman who always comes to collect – with interest. Black folks are disgusted with Trump. This is a fact. But if you thought all Black people would see or acknowledge this for the twisted, insulting, racist grift that it is, think again. Even after the South Carolina gala comments, Trump still managed to secure major cosigns from Black celebrities like Kodak Black, Kanye West, 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. And he's doing it again – handing out pardons like Oprah giving away cars to her audience. 'I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building – as a man, as a father, and as an artist,' Gaulden said in a statement this week after news of his pardon broke. Meanwhile, comments on the news ranged from pleasant surprise, to calls for Trump to free other famous people, to wholehearted support of his use of power. Set aside the countless far more worthy cases that Trump could have applied his pardons to. Moves like this are a slap in the face considering everything that Black Americans have specifically said that they need from him, and the ways he and his administration have directly made life harder for them. Black men are the country's most unemployed demographic; Black women continue to die with shocking regularity during childbirth, and police continue to harass and abuse innocent Black people simply for existing. The fact that granting a bunch of useless pardons felt like a worthy diversion tells me two things; one, that Trump thinks Black people are stupid or disempowered enough to be distracted by this kind of meaningless breadcrumbing, and two, that the only way he thinks he can relate to Black people is through the lens of criminality and being 'wrongfully' persecuted. Either way, these pardons have proven to be a means to an end for Trump – an end where he always comes out on top. Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Snoop Dogg shares what he really thinks of Donald Trump's pardons for NBA YoungBoy & Larry Hoover
Image composite: File (AP), X In an exclusive interview with TMZ Hip Hop on May 30, 2025, Snoop Dogg extended his support to NBA YoungBoy and Larry Hoover following their federal pardons from former President Donald Trump . Speaking from Beverly Hills, Snoop said, 'Playas may mess up but 2nd chances are invaluable!!!,' celebrating their re-entry into society's good graces. Snoop emphasized the power of personal transformation, especially within hip hop and gang culture. Addressing the ongoing debates around gang involvement and African-American youth, Snoop acknowledged the belief that many gang members are trapped from childhood, but added, 'I've seen gang members, such as myself, go on to become successful businessmen.' He believes the core of these organizations holds potential, if the violence is removed. Snoop himself is a testament to rehabilitation and growth. He cleared his own legal record before achieving milestones like co-hosting the Olympics. He also highlighted the recent pardon of his close associate Michael 'Harry-O' Harris, President of Death Row Records. Harris was granted clemency by Trump in 2021 and received a full pardon this week, wiping away a hefty prison sentence. Snoop and NBA YoungBoy, both born on October 20, share more than a birthday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Taboão Da Serra (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo Snoop sees the younger rapper as someone with wide influence: 'I see the Louisiana rapper's young fans look up to him ... no different than my come-up over 30 years ago.' Snoop also addressed Larry Hoover's commuted federal sentence, though his state conviction remains. 'I'm ready to step up and do my part in helping end gang violence in Chicago, once and for all,' Snoop told TMZ. Hoover, the reformed founder of the Gangster Disciples (GDs), has reemerged as an anti-crime spokesperson after decades behind bars. Earlier this year, Snoop faced backlash for performing at the politically charged Crypto Ball. But he responded boldly on his latest album Iz It a Crime?, rapping, 'Life's a game of spades, better keep a Trump card.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for May 31
And that's a wrap on May! Where did the month go? While we try and figure that out, here's what happened this week: Lawmakers in Springfield have been busy as the spring legislative session comes to a close. In addition to trying to pass a spending plan without 'broad-based' taxes before Saturday's deadline, state senators are considering a huge transit bill that would address a $771 million shortfall in Chicago-area transit agencies' budgets. Two big measures have also advanced in the final days of the session. The Illinois House passed a bill that would legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill people, and state legislators voted to ban police from ticketing and fining students for minor infractions at school, a common practice uncovered in the Tribune-ProPublica investigation 'The Price Kids Pay.' The former awaits approval by the Senate and the latter now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk to be signed into law. Chicago-born Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover got some good news this week. In a controversial decision, President Donald Trump commuted his federal life sentences. But Hoover will remain in prison, serving a 200-year sentence for his state court conviction for murder. Tariffs dominated the news again this week. The president announced Sunday that the U.S. will delay its 50% tariff on goods from the European Union until July 9 to allow time for negotiations. But on Wednesday, a federal trade court blocked the administration from imposing taxes on imports under an emergency-powers law, as tariffs must typically be approved by Congress. Still, that doesn't mean they're going away quite yet. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the president can temporarily continue collecting tariffs while he appeals the trade court's decision. For more on that, here's where things stand. Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration. The announcement came shortly after the Tesla CEO criticized Trump's 'Big, Beautiful, Bill' during a CBS interview. As the billionaire returns to his business ventures, he faces some big challenges. In Chicago sports news, Caleb Williams addressed murmurings that he tried to avoid being drafted by the Bears in 2024, saying 'I wanted to come here.' In Thursday's win over the Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot broke the all-time franchise scoring record, a title previously held by her wife, Allie Quigley. And Sox fans can honor one of their own being elected pope at a celebration at Rate Field on June 14. Tickets went on sale Friday. Plus, Chonkosaurus is back! The famed snapping turtle was spotted basking in the Chicago River this week. If — like Chonk — you're looking to lounge outside in the beautiful weather this weekend, check out our patio guide for 25 spots around the city. Without further ado, here's the Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz from May 25 to 31. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week. Best of luck!
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Crazy and Bloody Truth About the Murderer Trump Pardoned
President Donald Trump appears to have first heard of gang kingpin Larry Hoover during a 2018 press event with the rapper Kanye West— also known as Ye—that has been called the craziest Oval Office performance of all time. The topic was prison reform and criminal justice. West, who was wearing a red MAGA hat, cited the case of Larry Hoover. 'He has six life sentences, and they have him next to the Unabomber doing 23 and 1,' West said, meaning only one hour out of his cell a day. 'What did he do?' Trump asked. 'Tell me. Tell us.' One of Hoover's attorneys, Justin Moore, was present. 'Allegedly, it's for conspiracy from prison — from state prison,' Moore said. 'You know, it's alleged. But we do believe even if he did commit those crimes, the sentence was overly broad and too strict.' 'What was the sentence?' Trump asked 'Six consecutive life sentences in the most secure prison in the world, also known as 'a clean version of hell,' for basically an economic crime.,' Moore said. 'What prison is that?' West asked, knowing the answer. 'Name the prison.' 'ADX Supermax, in Florence, Colorado,' Moore said. 'They house the Unabomber, al Qaeda operatives, mass killers, Oklahoma City bomber, things of that nature.' Trump asked Hoover's age and Moore said he was 68. (He is now 74.) 'And really, the reason why they imprisoned him is because he started doing positive for the community,' West said. 'He started showing that he actually had power.' The event took a step toward nutty as West continued, 'So there's theories that there's infinite amounts of universe and there's alternate universe. So it's very important for me to get Hoover out, because in an alternate universe, I am him. 'And I have to go and get him free because he was doing positive inside of Chicago, just like how I'm moving back to Chicago and it's not just about, you know, getting on stage and being an entertainer.' West said that Hoover is 'an example of a man that was turning his life around, and as soon as he tried to turn his life around, they hit him with six life sentences.' 'You say don't tear down the statues?' West asked in apparent reference to Trump's oft-stated opposition to scrapping Confederate monuments. 'Larry Hoover is a living statue.' At another moment, West announced that had a gift for Trump and showed him a cell phone picture. It was of what he called 'iPhone 1." a hydrogen powered plane that he said could replace Air Force 1. 'Well, we're going to have Apple, an American company, work on this plane,' West said. Things further devolved to where it would have been easy to forget the talk about Larry Hoover. His attorneys unsuccessfully sought in 2020 and again in 2024 to have his federal sentence reduced. Federal prosecutors offered their own views of what Moore had called basically an economic crime. In court papers, prosecutors said, 'Hoover claims he engaged in political activism as a teenager, but the record shows that he was actively engaged in gang violence—starting a pattern that lasted for decades. By his own admission, Hoover was expelled from Francis Parker High School after shooting a gang member in front of the principal's office.' By 1973, the papers say, Hoover had become a gang leader self-coronated as 'King Hoover.' 'At a meeting of his gang, Hoover ordered the execution of William Young and other street level workers suspected of stealing from Hoover's narcotics stash houses,' court papers say. 'On the night of February 26, 1973, Andrew Howard—a gang member under Hoover's command—shot Young in the head six times and dumped his body in an alley. Approximately 90 minutes after the murder, Hoover called another meeting of his gang and reported that 'he had gotten one of the guys that they was [sic] after and he wanted the other two…killed also before the week was out.'' One of the two, Tony Tucker, vanished and has not been seen since. The third, Joshua Shaw wasShaw was was shot six times in the head and upper torso, but survived. 'During an interview with police officers, Mr. Joshua Shaw said that he was shot on the orders of inmate Mr. Larry Hoover,' court papers say. 'Just before the murder trials of Mr. Larry Hoover and Mr. Andrew Howard, Mr. Josh Shaw was found dead in an alley with two gunshot wounds to the back of his head.' Hoover and Howard were nonetheless convicted. Hoover was sentenced to 200 years for double murder. 'Astonishingly he continued to rule the Gangster Disciples from prison,' court papers report. 'Under Hoover's leadership the gang rose to prominence, controlling a large part of the street-level drug trafficking in the Chicago area. At its height in the early 1990s, the gang's drug sales brought in about $100 million per year.' In the 1980s, Hoover decided to go from monarchical to corporate. The King became the Chairman, with two boards of directors, 'An incarcerated Board for the leaders in prison and an unincarcerated Board for the leaders on the outside,' the court papers note. Under the directors were the governors, who ran drug sales in neighborhoods of Chicago and its suburbs. Each governor had some 1,000 gang members under him. The 'foot soldiers' were overseen by disciplined coordinators who were themselves overseen by regents. 'If there was more demand in an area than the Gangster Disciples had foot soldiers to supply, the gang permitted dealers unaffiliated with a gang, called 'Neutrons,' to sell their wares so long as they paid a tax to the Gangster Disciples,' the court papers say. 'But the Gangster Disciples violently suppressed any rival gang's attempt to sell in Gangster Disciple territory.' The papers add, 'In order to funnel proceeds from the enormous number of small sales to the gang's leaders, Hoover decided to charge each gang member certain dues, called the 'count' or the 'weekly.' This was in effect a tax or franchise fee for doing business as a Gangster Disciple, similar to the tax levied on Neutrons. The Governors were responsible for getting the weekly in to the Directors, and Governors who owed back taxes were likely to find themselves the unwilling recipients of a beating.' The papers further report that Hoover and his lieutenants retained 'the power to order violations... violent beatings which sometimes rendered their victims hospitalized or killed.' 'In order to conceal the illegal activities of the gang, members were forbidden from discussing the same with law enforcement authorities under penalty of death,' the papers add. In 1993, Hoover moved to further fill his pockets as chairman by instituting what was called 'One Day a Week' or 'Nation Dope.' 'One day each week, everyone selling within the gang's territory had to sell drugs for Hoover himself,' the papers say. 'Hoover estimated that this would net him $200,000 to $300,000 each week. He thought there might be some resistance to Nation Dope, so he instructed the Directors to put the word out that anyone refusing to sell Nation Dope would be shot.' The papers add, 'Hoover's analysis was simple: 'One day a week ain't much to ask for your life.'' Because prison phone calls are recorded, Hoover had his directors meet him in person at whatever state facility he was in at the time. State authorities sought to make that more difficult by transferring him to a prison in a far corner of Illinois. The directors still made the sixh-our drive from Chicago. Federal prosecutors secured a warrant to place a transmitter in the visitor's badge given to one of the gang leaders who met with Hoover. 'The government was thus able to monitor the conversations of the gang's inner leadership for six weeks until the transmitter was discovered,' the papers report. With the recordings and witnesses, the feds were able to indict Hoover and the gang's top leadership for running a continuing criminal enterprise. He was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to six life terms. 'Because of Hoover's iron grip on the GDs—which lasted for decades—many communities in Chicago were ravaged with drugs and gang violence,' federal prosecutors said in court papers in 2020. 'Hoover destroyed neighborhoods and lives, including minors who were conscripted into his gang. He ordered murders to maintain discipline within the gang and control the territory where his gang sold drugs. He negotiated with the gang's narcotics suppliers and implemented a system to ensure that the profits from drug trafficking flowed up the ranks to his pockets. And Hoover did all this from a state prison.' That ended when Hoover was consigned to the U.S. supermax prison, ADMAX Florence in Colorado. He was in perpetual solitary confinement and cut off from any direct communication with the gang. The 'GDs' splintered into a myriad of factions without him. Hoover declared himself reformed, saying that 'GD' now stood for 'growth and development.' Prosecutors dismissed it as a scam. Two judges held that the federal sentence should stand as imposed and Hoover remained inmate 8063-024 in ADMAX Florence. 'To the extent any one person can deter another to commit crimes, Hoover's life imprisonment symbolically demonstrates that the rule of law reaches even those in power who seem untouchable,' U.S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber said in his 2020 ruling. But as measured by myth, Hoover remained as big as ever. 'Larry Hoover is still a symbolic figure nationally within the world of street gangs,' federal prosecutors said in court papers. 'Nearly every gang member in Chicago even if they were not born during Larry Hoover's reign knows his name. He's the famous chairman of the Gangster Disciples.' The GD's emblem is a six point star and West was almost certainly making reference to both the gang and Hoover in the 2021 song 'Pure Soul. ' 'Always had mob ties/ Stood on my six points, how could I not rise?... / And for all the guys that went to the White House and said, 'Free the old man.'' Kanye enlisted Drake to join him performing at a 'Free Larry Hoover' benefit concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that December. Some 70,000 people attended and the event went global when Amazon streamed it on Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. The benefit for the man in ADMAX also became the first content streamed to IMAX theaters. Trump returned to the White House this year in part by stoking fears of what he describes as an invading horde of violent migrants, among them gang members he described as 'the worst of the worst.' But on Wednesday, Trump's recent binge of pardons and commutations extended from various MAGA white collar criminals to a man who ran an all-American gang as large and vicious as MS-13 or Tren de Aragua. The gang leader whose name had come up during the zany Oval Office meeting with Kanye seven years ago received a commutation. Hoover still faces more than a century behind bars on a state murder conviction over which Trump has no power. But the commutation of his federal sentence imparts a message that prosecutors warned Hoover's bid for a sentence reduction five years ago would have sent if successful. 'The lesson to gang members today will be that there is no need to fear federal prosecution or the prospect of a life sentence and that federal punishment for the kinds of crimes that Hoover committed is not definite or not certain, because not even the likes of Larry Hoover, the worst of the worst, ultimately had to serve his federal life sentence,' the government's memo in opposition said.
