Trump Thinks He’s Big Meech: He Commutes Larry Hoover—Yes, That Larry Hoover From the Rick Ross Song

In a plot twist that sounds like a deleted scene from a hip-hop documentary, President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, the once-feared gang leader whose name became immortalized in a Rick Ross lyric (“I think I’m Big Meech… Larry Hoover!”).

For those unfamiliar, Hoover co-founded the Gangster Disciples in Chicago in the 1970s and was sentenced in 1997 to six life sentences — if organized crime were a class, he’d be tenured.

But in recent years, Hoover’s story took a surprising turn. From prison, he renounced gang life, declared himself rehabilitated, and inspired a wave of advocacy for his release. Enter: celebrities. Kanye West, a Chicago native, and Drake, his Canadian frenemy, teamed up in 2021 for a “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert—yes, that actually happened.

Hoover made a push in court just last year for early release, emphasizing his remorse and rehabilitation. With Trump now stepping in with a sentence commutation (not a full pardon), Hoover’s future is suddenly wide open.

A commutation reduces a prison sentence but doesn’t erase the conviction. Unlike a pardon, which forgives the crime, a commutation just shortens the time served.