I confess. I didn’t have a clue who Lil Boosie was before deciding to write this rant and doing a little research. Apparently, he is a rapper out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. None of his songs stand out to me, but apparently he struck a cord with millions of people.

Waking up this morning listening to the radio, the story of Lil Boosie’s release from prison was all over the stations. It was on the black and white stations. The media coverage didn’t stop there. My social media feed was drenched with praise, announcement and rejoice that Lil Boosie was released.

I thought to myself, I don’t even know who this guy is, but people sure are excited. The hype, discussion and debates around it reminded me of the passion people felt for political rights leaders and heroes, not entertainers. So I did what any curious individual would do, I decided to find out who Lil Boosie is and why people seem so passionate about him and his story.

Torrence Hatch, 31 years old, rap name Lil Boosie, is from the deep south and has that flavor to his rhymes.

In 2009, Lil Boosie was caught with marijuana, charged and sent to prison as a result. We know many of our young black men caught in the judicial system getting to many years for minor drug charges, but he didn’t stop there. Going in to prison, he didn’t want to give up the hustler’s life and was caught trying to smuggle drug into the facility. 8 years was added to his original 4 year sentence.

The details are sparse, but for some reasons, Lil Boosie is a free man. He is a free man, but will be on parole until 2018.

No dis to Lil Boosie. I am sure this is great news for his friends, children, and family, but maybe I’m missing something. Why exactly is the black community celebrating to the high heavens for this man? I could just be off, but it seems like his contribution to society doesn’t match the jubilation expressed by the people via traditional and social media.

It could just be me. Can you tell me why the black community is so excited over the release of Lil Boosie?