The world of hip-hop has always been a mirror to the streets, but rarely has the reflection looked as grim and high-stakes as it does in the closing months of 2025. The return of Lantrell Donald Williams Jr., better known to the world as Pooh Shiesty, was supposed to be a triumphant second act. Fresh from a three-year stint in federal custody, the Memphis rapper walked out of the gates on October 7, 2025, claiming to be a “new and improved” version of himself. However, a series of recent events, culminating in a viral live stream and aggressive musical releases, suggests that while Shiesty may have changed his habits, his loyalties remain as volatile and dangerous as ever.
The internet was set ablaze on December 5, 2025, when Shiesty hopped on a live stream that quickly shifted from a celebration of his freedom to a tense display of street politics. As thousands of fans watched, the chat began to fill with three letters that carry the weight of a hundred tragedies: 4KT. This is the banner of NBA Youngboy’s Never Broke Again movement, a crew that has been locked in a deadly stalemate with Lil Durk’s Only The Family (OTF) for years. Shiesty’s reaction was not one of anger, but of calculated dismissal. He repeatedly asked “Who?” whenever the movement was mentioned, effectively erasing one of the most powerful forces in modern rap from his reality.
This wasn’t just internet trolling; it was a public declaration. The tension reached a breaking point when a streamer named Rakai joined the call and claimed he was “4KT.” The energy in the virtual room turned ice-cold instantly. Shiesty’s immediate dismissal and the subsequent fallout—which saw King Von’s sister, Kayla B, publicly blasting the streamer for insensitivity—highlighted a terrifying truth: in this beef, there is no neutral ground. As 21 Savage recently noted, the amount of bloodshed has made mediation impossible. You are either with one side, or you are a target.
To understand why a simple live stream moment carries such terrifying weight, one must look back at the trail of bodies that led to this point. The roots of this conflict are anchored in the tragic night of November 6, 2020, in Atlanta. The death of King Von, a rising star and Lil Durk’s “blood brother,” changed everything. When Von was killed in a confrontation with affiliates of Quando Rondo—who is signed to NBA Youngboy’s label—a petty rap beef transformed into an all-out war. The music that followed, such as Youngboy’s “Bring the Hook” and Durk’s “Aheeha,” wasn’t just art; it was a series of taunts and threats delivered to millions of listeners.
The escalation didn’t stop at lyrics. In August 2022, the murder of Quando Rondo’s cousin, Lul Pab, at a Los Angeles gas station brought the federal government into the fray. Federal prosecutors now allege that this was a coordinated murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Lil Durk himself. The indictment paints a picture of OTF not as a record label, but as a criminal enterprise capable of flying hitmen across state lines on private jets. With Durk currently facing federal charges that could result in life imprisonment, Pooh Shiesty’s unwavering public support for him is as much a legal risk as it is a street statement.
Shiesty himself is no stranger to the consequences of the lifestyle he portrays. His five-year federal sentence stemmed from a 2020 incident in Miami involving a rented McLaren, a Louis Vuitton bag full of cash, and a drug deal gone wrong. While in prison, Shiesty claims to have found a “clearer vision,” picking up habits like reading and working out. He spoke eloquently in a recent interview about the importance of making rational decisions and providing for his family. “All the image and the facades… it’s not worth it,” he told fans, offering a rare glimpse of wisdom from a man who has seen the inside of a cell.
Yet, the “Unstoppable” rapper finds himself in a precarious position. He is currently on supervised release, wearing an ankle monitor that tracks his every move. Despite his talk of maturity, his musical output remains fiercely aggressive. His track “FDO” (First Day Out), released on December 12, 2025, is a five-minute barrage of bars that fans have interpreted as direct shots at his “ops.” In a world where the FBI and ATF are increasingly using lyrics and social media activity to build RICO cases, Shiesty is walking a razor-thin line between commercial success and a return to prison.
The rumors currently circulating about “CCTV footage” of Shiesty’s affiliates targeting NBA Youngboy remain unverified, often existing as clickbait designed to harvest views. However, the reason these rumors gain such traction is that they are entirely believable within the context of this feud. The violence is not a marketing ploy; it is a reality that has claimed lives from Chicago to Baton Rouge to Los Angeles. Documentarians like Trap Lore Ross have pointed out that prosecutors are attempting to link as many as six additional murders to the ongoing OTF and 4KT conflict.
As we move further into 2025, the story of Pooh Shiesty, Lil Durk, and NBA Youngboy serves as a cautionary tale about the intersection of fame, loyalty, and the streets. Shiesty’s return was meant to be a fresh start, but the shadows of the past are long. While he preaches focus and taking care of opportunities, his public actions suggest he is still very much a soldier in a war that has no winners. The industry watches with bated breath, hoping for music but fearing the next headline. In this high-stakes game of street chess, one wrong move—whether on a live stream or in a lyrics booth—could be the final one.
