Jeremy Busby explains how he pulled off the biggest hip hop concert in Texas prison history — starring Trapboy Freddy.
By the time I arrived at the infamous Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, about 120 miles southeast of Dallas, I was a veteran at promoting successful concerts in prison.
Since I was mostly incarcerated at prisons near Houston, the majority of the hip hop artists I brought in were from that area. Now that I was near Dallas, it was time for me to put on for my hometown. It was an opportunity I’d been relishing.
Nationally, the name “Trapboy Freddy” probably doesn’t ring a bell, but in Texas, especially Dallas, Trapboy Freddy is a hip hop god! His fiery rapid delivery, street-laced gangsta lyrics, and kingpin persona propelled him to the top of all the local hip hop charts. You couldn’t cut on the radio without hearing one of his songs blasting and you couldn’t walk by a cell without hearing a prisoner banging one of his hits.
I went and informed the prison’s chaplain that it was Trapboy Freddy who I wanted to invite for my first concert at Beto.
The unit chaplain had control over all programming. I knew he was a person who was interested in getting creative to convince people to volunteer their time at our remote prison location. So I barged into his office one day and asked if he had ever considered having a rap concert in the chapel.
He responded, “No,” because no one had ever made such a proposal. When I told him about the possibility to bring Trapboy Freddy, he readily agreed.
“Let’s do it Busby, if you can get it done!”
I had heard rumors that Tray Boy Freddy’s childhood friend was incarcerated at the facility. People had seen Trapboy Freddy visiting him in the visitation room and he had countless photos of the both of them since their youth.
I sought him out and told him about my discussion with the chaplain. We could really bring the homie to the prison to put on for the entire prison. Later that day, I was on the phone with Trapboy Freddy’s management!
His childhood friend had connected me. I gave them the layout of the plan which included them making contact with the chaplain and providing the names of everyone they planned to bring inside the prison.
After they made contact with the chaplain, I was given official word that the program was a green light. As I went about the process of organizing the concert, the naysayers popped out.
“Man, Trapboy Freddy ain’t coming to a prison.”
“These people ain’t going to let a gangsta like him in here.”
“You haven’t been here long enough.”
I disregarded them and proceeded with my mission. Trapboy Freddy would be by far the biggest hip hop star to perform at a Texas prison. I was determined to make it happen!
I begin organizing my inside team. My guy in the computer lab made us a bad ass flyer that we posted all over the prison. I recruited the best musician at the unit to be Trapboy Freddy’s opening act. I assigned various guys to be event staff to help with the flow of traffic and to serve as personal bodyguards for our guest. I got with the shift captain a couple days before the event and informed him that we would have a larger turnout for the chapel than normal.
Ironically, the staff became just as hype about the concert as those incarcerated. Until the very last minute, most people thought the entire event was too good to be true.
Two weeks later, or five weeks after I arrived at Beto, Trapboy Freddy and his entire Cool Money Entertainment record label crew took the stage in Beto’s chapel, draped in platinum jewelry.
When Trapboy Freddy and his entourage stepped in the chapel, you would have thought we were at Woodstock. The audience went crazy. Trapboy Freddy took the stage and performed over an hour-long set, with the audience energetically rapping the lyrics of his top hits alongside him.
For over two hours, two-thousand prisoners danced, boggled, and grooved to the tunes of Trapboy Freddy’s greatest hits.
The only time the energy level dropped was when Trapboy Freddy interrupted one of his songs to give a word of encouragement.
“Learn how to write and get your education while you are here,” he instructed the audience, “I made one million dollars from writing one song.”
It was a night that no one in the room would ever forget, including Trapboy Freddy himself, who has maintained contact with me ever since.
I’ve found in life some people have not because they dream not. Someone has told them that they are average, basic, generic, limited, and sadly they have accepted that narrative. The worst thing you can do is allow them to cast that stagnated mindset over you.
Had I allowed them that, I would have never made history by bringing Trapboy Freddy to perform at a Texas prison.
That event was in 2020, but people still talk about it like it was yesterday. Some of those in attendance had never been to a real concert prior to their incarceration, and it would be the last for others. They tell every new cellmate they get about how they saw Trapboy Freddy live in concert.
Incarceration is a state of mind. Live your dreams.
https://www.joinjeremy.org/
Jeremy Busby #881193
Estelle
264 FM 3478
Huntsville, TX
77320-3320
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