Boosie Badazz is no stranger to controversy, but this time, it's not about his music or social media antics but a scholarship awarded to honor a lost life. The Baton Rouge rapper is clapping back at Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and others over legal threats related to his Caleb Wilson Memorial Scholarship. And true to Boosie's form, he is not backing down.
The backlash came after Boosie posted about the Caleb Wilson Memorial Scholarship during his sixth annual Boosie Bash Festival at Southern University. The scholarship was created to honor Wilson, a Southern University student who was killed in a hazing incident. With Boosie's deep ties to Baton Rouge, he figured this was a way to honor Wilson's legacy and help his grieving family.
But Wilson's parents felt blindsided. They said they had no idea about the scholarship and had not authorized their son's name to be used. That's when Attorney General Liz Murrill intervened, accusing Boosie of profiting off Wilson's death for commercial gain. Murrill was unsparing in his response, calling the actions attributed to Boosie in his testimony "disgusting" and a "dramatic misrepresentation." She called for Wilson's name and immediately pulled from all event promotions.
Boosie hopped on Instagram Live Tuesday (March 25) to express his frustration, and he's not playing around over this.
"I'm going to battle them tooth and nail," he said. "I'm suing the state of Louisiana. I'm suing everybody."
He has denied wrongdoing, saying that he never intended to profit from Wilson's death. Boosie says the Boosie Bash was organized way before Wilson's death and that Boosie was explicitly asked to come in and lend a hand when he returned home.
"I can't believe how this city is doing me," he said, adding that he paid taxes and contributed to Baton Rouge's economy. He also pointed to the peacefulness of his festival. He noted that in its seven-year history, there has never been a single fight or serious incident, thanks to the extensive measures he takes regarding security.
Boosie didn't stop there. He called Murrill's legal threats "the ultimate betrayal" and "another money grab." He blamed officials at Southern University and others for blocking him from contacting Wilson's family directly, saying he had even offered them a donation of $10,000 to help them in their time of need.
Murrill, however, questioned whether it was confirmed that the proceeds from Boosie Bash were going to the scholarship as initially advertised. Wilson's survivors, for their part, said they understood Boosie's scholarship to be a one-off designation, not the formation of a new, separate fund associated with his festival.
Still, Boosie is sticking by his decision to memorialize Wilson. However, legal threats and controversy may force him to move the Boosie Bash altogether.
"This may be the last Boosie Bash in Louisiana," he hinted, implying that he is considering moving his festival elsewhere. Lawsuits, accusations, and emotions are flying; Boosie isn't going down without a fight.
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