The Story of 03 Greedo, a Genius in Exile

03 Greedo’s presence in Los Angeles rap is impossible to miss. His formula for creating “emo music for gangbangers” can be traced back to the string of mixtapes he crafted under the moniker Greedy Giddy and again on the 33-track Purple Summer 2: Son Don’t Shine. It was 2018’s Wolf of Grape Street, however, that put a national spotlight on the rapper who calls Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood his home. Last year, Greedo was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty for drug trafficking charges, halting his rapid rise in rap. We caught up with 03 Greedo a week before he turned himself into prison in Fort Stockton, Texas to talk about his ascent and how his incarceration is emblematic of America’s issue with mass incarceration.

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