Ackquille Jean Pollard (born April 1, 1994), known by his stage name Bobby Shmurda, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, signed to Epic Records. He is best known for his song "Hot Nigga", (released in July 2014) a song that debuted the "Shmoney dance," which went viral after the release of the music video. The song has so far peaked at 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the song being remixed and performed by numerous other artists including Lil' Kim, French Montana, Juicy J, and Gunplay.
Early life
Shmurda was born in Florida and is the youngest of two sons born to a Jamaican father and Trinidadian mother. He moved to Florida shortly after birth and relocated from Florida to Brooklyn, New York after his father was incarcerated, living in East Flatbush. Shmurda also had run ins with the law while living in Brooklyn, including spending 15 months in detention for probation violation as well as being arrested on a gun charge that was later dropped.
Career
Shmurda began rapping at the age of 10. The first song he remixed was Crime Mob's "Knuck If You Buck" in 2004, but did not receive any notable attention until 2014 with the release of the song "Hot Nigga".The song features the beat from the Lloyd Banks' song "Jackpot".Shmurda gained notoriety from the video where he performs the "Shmoney dance", choreography that he made in the summer of 2013. The song became popular among Vine users and soon lead to the "Shmoney dance" meme, which has since been performed by Beyoncé on her On the Run Tour with Jay-Z, as well being used by Drake while hosting the 2014 ESPY Awards. Freestyles of the song by various rappers have since been released, including by Juicy J, French Montana, Lil' Kim, Gunplay and T.I..The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Rap Digital chart with a remix of the song featuring Chris Brown, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes having been released in 2014.
On June 3, 2014, Pollard was arrested and charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon. He was set free on $10,000 bail. In July 2014, Shmurda performed with Meek Mill and later signed a recording deal with Epic Records. On August 29, 2014, Shmurda released a reggae remix featuring Junior Reid, Mavado, Popcaan and Jah X. On September 5, 2014, another remix of "Hot Nigga" notably featuring Chris Brown, Fabolous, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes was released. Shmurda's debut album with Epic Records is scheduled for release in 2014. The album is said to be produced by Jahlil Beats.