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B.G., a rapper who got his start with Cash Money Records, served over a decade behind bars. On Tuesday, the New Orleans rapper was freed from prison and his fomer label boss Birdman was among the first people to greet him.
B.G., real name Christopher Noel Dorsey, just celebrated his 43rd birthday on September 3 and shared a post on Instagram that it would be his last while incarcerated. It was understood that the rapper also known as Baby Gangsta would be seeing freedom after news went wide last week.
Birdman took to social media and shared the heartwarming moment between him and his one-time protege. Today, B.G. sports long locs and a much bulkier frame and appeared to be in good spirits as he embraced his label boss and friends.
B.G.’s legal woes date back to 2009 after he was pulled over by police in New Orleans via a routine traffic stop. A search of the vehicle turned up three guns, two of which were reportedly stolen. B.G. was charged on an illegal weapons charge and entered a not guilty plea in 2010. However, due to other developments in the case involving other passengers in the vehicle, the prosecution brought an additional charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
One of the passengers attempted to take responsibility for the guns but it was determined by prosecutors that the affidavit signed by the passenger was false. That person was sentenced to 20 years in prison while the other passenger was hit with 30 months, according to what was found online
After pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, B.G. was sentenced to 14 years on July 18. 2012.
As a member of the Hot Boys collectible with Lil Wayne, Turk, and Juvenile, B.G. saw fame on the charts early on. That same success was replicated on his third album Chopper City in the Ghetto, and Checkmate, his final under the Cash Money Records imprint.
On Twitter, images of B.G. and Birdman have been circulating with others chiming in with congratulations for the newly-freed rapper.
Check out those reactions below.
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Photo: Raymond Boyd / Getty
New Oreleanians traveling along US Route 90 may not suspect that the revered Caesars Superdome is on the cusp of a renaissance.
Since 2020, the nearly 50-year-old stadium has been going through a $450 million renovation, scheduled to conclude by the end of next year. According to Evan Holmes, general manager at Caesars Superdome, Smoothie King Center and Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED) Properties for ASM Global, as the Louisiana State University Tigers exited the building having clinched their fourth national football championship earlier this April, contractors were making their way in to pop off old ceiling tiles and get to work.
The multi-phase, multi-year renovation has been moving forward since then — with minimal impact on events at the nearly 75,000-capacity venue — as the Superdome’s managers look to improve the guest experience and modernize amenities, without replacing the building’s architectural characteristics.
“A lot of communities would kill to have something like [the Superdome], let alone something like this, for 50 years,” says Holmes.
The exterior of the Superdome will remain unchanged, while the interior concourse is being expanded. Roughly 80,000 sq. ft. of ramps on each level – previously used for ingress and egress – are being pulled out and replaced with staircases to make wider concourses, with enhanced food and beverage options, more restrooms and better merchandise stations. The building has new field level suites that open to the endzone — “If [New Orleans Saints running back] Alvin Kamra scores a touchdown, he’s liable to jump on your lap,” says Holmes — and a field level club for games and private events, eight viewing decks with standing room overlooking the field with up-to-date ADA accommodations. So far, the East side of the building has undergone its renovations — and, by the 2024 Saints season, the West side will be completed, with new grab-and-go concessions and a new atrium.
Working behind the walls for four years is a herculean task, but pales in comparison to the cost of a new NFL stadium. (The NFL’s newest stadiums, Allegiant in Las Vegas and SoFi in Los Angeles — both opened in 2020 — have cost roughly $2 billion and $5 billion, respectively). The $450 million renovations are being funded by the State of Louisiana, the LSED and the New Orleans Saints, subsequent to the team’s new lease agreement. By not closing the venue for renovations, the Superdome will hold on to valued college football events like the Sugar Bowl and the Bayou Classic, as well as Essence Fest, which brings half a million attendees to New Orleans.
Gensler/Trahan Architects
If you’re building a new stadium, “you’re missing those big, high-impact events in the market. So, the hotels aren’t having that content, the restaurants don’t have [that content],” says Holmes. “There’s a cascading list of reasons why it makes sense for us not to take the building down.”
In addition to keeping tenants and established events, updating the building means hanging on to “the skin,” as Holmes calls it, of the storied venue. The Superdome has hosted seven Super Bowls, as well as concerts from The Jacksons, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson, Al Green, The Temptations, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Whitney Houston, KISS, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and many more legendary artists.
Holmes explains that the renovation is not to change the look of the Superdome or generate exorbitant amounts of money for the team, but to make a better overall experience for fans. “You’re competing for these big events and we think the Superdome, especially after this renovation, can do all the things that these other buildings can do operationally,” he says. “It may not have all the brand-new bells and whistles that they may have, but functionally we can do it all. We’ve got character that other buildings wish they had.”
Caesars Superdome will once again host the Super Bowl in 2025 (it was originally scheduled to host the 2024 Bowl, but the schedule conflicted with New Orleans’ world-renowned Mardi Gras), just as the building celebrates its 50th anniversary. “It’s not just a football stadium,” says Holmes. “It means a lot of things to a lot of people, so we want to celebrate that.”
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Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty
Big Freedia is adding another achievement, as she announced her plans to open a hotel in her hometown of New Orleans.
The “Best Beleevah” rapper took to social media last Wednesday (Feb. 1st) to announce her latest venture. “This dream of mine has been in the works for a long time, I’ll be one of the first black hotel owners in New Orleans! Will keep y’all posted on the official opening date, can’t wait to see y’all at Hotel Freedia.” she wrote on Twitter.
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The “Queen of Bounce” said to the New Orleans Times-Picayune that the idea to have her own hotel came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Not being able to go out and work during the pandemic, cooking brought so much light and creativity it just really got me interested in doing a restaurant,” Freedia said. “And I always had a dream of opening a hotel, so it just kind of came together that way.”
According to reports, the hotel is a result of a partnership with developer Zach Kupperman & her manager Reid Martin. The “Hotel Freedia”, located on Decatur Street near Frenchman Street in the Marigny neighborhood, will be constructed as a micro-boutique hotel with just five rooms atop a 60-seat restaurant and music venue with an outdoor courtyard with a pool and clubhouse. The unnamed restaurant is expected to feature some of Freedia’s signature recipes.
The musical venue is slated to be Big Freedia’s home base for performances in addition to hosting local and nationally-known artists and bands. “Obviously, Frenchmen Street is all about local music so we want to have a lot of local music going on, but we’re also interested in having some national music coming in,” Martin said.
Groundbreaking is set to take place in the spring, with a goal of opening for Mardi Gras in 2024. Big Freedia elaborated on the details at a meeting of The Nieux, an NFT-based community space for artists. There, she offered attendees a discounted membership of $750 in the cryptocurrency Ethereum which gives them access to her events and the pool and clubhouse. “We’re experimenting right now,” Martin said. “For now, it’s the only way to buy a membership, but eventually we might sell using traditional currency.”
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