Fast-rising Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty is releasing his debut mixtape, "Shiesty Season," on Gucci Mane's The New 1017 label.

Rapper Pooh Shiesty, who was serving a more than five-year prison sentence for a Florida gun charge, has been released from federal prison custody, records show.

The 25-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Lontrell D. Williams, pleaded guilty in January 2022 to one felony count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of violent and drug trafficking crimes, federal court documents show.

Williams is no longer in custody, according to records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons obtained by USA TODAY on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

According to charging documents, in July 2020, Williams was inside a car in Memphis, Tennessee, when someone opened fire on a gas station. A few months later, prosecutors accused the rapper of being part of a group that shot two people and stole drugs and high-end sneakers at a hotel in Bay Harbor Islands, a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

In April 2022, a federal judge in Miami sentenced Williams to 63 months in prison for the charge, to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to court documents filed in the Southern District of Florida.

Williams, who was 22 at the time of sentencing, faced up to 20 years in prison for the crime. Under a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop three other charges filed against him, including a gun charge with a potential life prison sentence.

According to court filings, the other charges stemmed from three separate events, including a shooting at a Miami-Dade County hotel.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) records indicated that Williams was no longer in BOP custody.

The "Back in Blood" rapper was initially slated to be released from BOP custody in April 2026, according to the prison's official website.

Following his release, Williams was already going viral on social media for his comment under rap superstar Cardi B's Instagram video, which reads, "I love you."

As of Tuesday, Williams' comment had garnered thousands of likes, and his official Instagram account showed he had more than 3.3 million followers.

Williams has made headlines in the past for his flirtatious remarks on her social media posts during the time he was in prison.

“I’m 5 mins away baby open the door," he appeared to comment on his account while the "Pretty & Petty" rapper was on Instagram live.

Why was Pooh Shiesty released early?

As of Oct. 7, it was not immediately known why Williams was released from federal prison early. At the time of his release, he was incarcerated at USP Canaan, a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Under the First Step Act of 2018, some prisoners are eligible for early release. The law allows incarcerated individuals to earn time credits for participating in "recidivism reduction programming or productive activities."

USA TODAY contacted the BOP's Office of Public Affairs, but a spokesperson for the prison was unavailable to respond due to the partial U.S. federal government shutdown that continued on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

"Due to the lapse in appropriations, the Office of Public Affairs is not available to respond to your inquiries," the office responded via email. "Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information or contact us again once the lapse in appropriations has been resolved."

USA TODAY also reached out to Williams' attorneys and prosecutors in the case on Oct. 7, but has not received a response.

Who is Pooh Shiesty?

Born in Memphis in 1999, the rapper's father founded the Bluff City label Mob Ties Records, and at a young age, he first rapped under the name Mob Boss.

"He could rap, but he had his own label too," Williams told The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2021. "I was exposed to it, but he was doing his own thing. I was still real young then. There was stuff I didn't know or understand. That was before I jumped in the streets or whatever."

In April 2020, Gucci Mane offered Williams a record deal. He signed with the Atlanta rapper and businessman's 1017 Records, also called The New 1017, an imprint of Atlantic Records. He was one of the artists kept on the label roster in late 2024.

In February 2021, Williams released his debut commercial mixtape, "Shiesty Season." The track peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200.

Contributing: Taylor Audrey

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rapper Pooh Shiesty released from federal prison, inmate records show

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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