On his final day in office, Donald Trump issued a list of pardons and commutations. Trump pardoned a total of 73 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others.The majority of pardons and commutations appear to be awarded to individuals who had close ties to the president or whose cases were championed by advocates. Among the list were Trump’s allies, including former chief strategist Steve Bannon and former top fundraiser Elliott Broidy. The list also included some notable names in hip-hop, including Lil Wayne, Kodak Black, and prominent executives like Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez.
For those who are unaware, a clemency is a general term for granting a convicted person relief from a prison sentence or other legal consequences. The two primary methods of clemency are pardons and commutations, which come with different plans or actions by the government and law enforcement. A pardon is an action taken by the government to relieve a convicted person of all or some of legal consequences from their conviction. A commutation is the decision to reduce the punishments of a conviction. Usually, a commutation results in a reduced prison term or reduced court-ordered fines.
Here’s a breakdown of each of Trump’s pardons and commutations of notable hip-hop figures.