Lil D, an Oakland legend, and mentor to many of the Bay Area's biggest rappers is now a free man thanks to President Obama who granted clemency to 111 prisoners this week.
D was serving a 35-year sentence for conspiracy charges and possession of Cocaine for sale. He made a name for himself as the head of one of the biggest "Cocaine Conglomerates" in California. Since being in prison, D whose real name is Darryl Reed turned his life around and wrote a book titled “Weight” where he details his life experiences and emphasizes the great upbringing he had in a two parent home. He also warns kids that as exciting as his life was when he was dealing drugs, it wasn’t worth losing decades of his freedom. D also mentored some big names in rap including MC Hammer who celebrated his friend’s liberty in a tweet earlier today. “The President of the United States has granted “Darryl Lil D Reed” Clemency. Thank You, President Obama & Brittany,” tweeted Hammer. Reed also has mentored rappers like Too Short, E40, Mistah FAB and Yukmouth.
President Obama shortened prison sentences of over 100 inmates. 35 of those people were serving sentences that would have seen them die in prison, according to NPR. The Justice Department hopes to free more prisoners there for drug cases before he leaves office in 2017. “At our current pace, we are confident that we will be able to review and make a recommendation to the president on every single drug petition we currently have,” said Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates. Most of the prisoners released were in jail for non-violent drug offenses that would have received lighter sentences in today’s criminal justice system. The current White House has shortened the sentences of 673 people which is more than the past ten presidents combined.
Source: youtube.com
