Nearly a decade after he was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for gun possession and witness tampering, B.G. has submitted a letter to a federal judge asking for early release. 

B.G., whose real name is Christopher Dorsey, submitted the letter to the Eastern District of Louisiana this week. In the six-page letter, handwritten from his cell at Big Sandy USP in Kentucky, B.G. reflects on his life, rap career, and the offense that led him to prison. 

"I respectfully contend that enough is enough. I get the point the government aimed to impart on me with this prosecution and harsh sentence," B.G. wrote, later adding, I respectfully move this court to sympathize with the misguided boy I was and have enough compassion, enough faith in the man I've become to order my return to my family and career."

At the top of his letter, B.G. noted that he has a fully competent attorney but wanted to write to the court directly, in his own words. 

While writing that he takes "full responsibility" for his crimes, B.G. also said he was a product of the "violence, death, despair, negative influences, drugs, poverty, and the inherent distrust of law enforcement" from growing up in New Orleans in the 1980s and 90s. His music was a reflection of that upbringing, he wrote, adding, "my struggles were confessed to the world, my personal conflicts, my battle with drug addiction." 

He wrote that as his career as a rapper soared, he was too busy selling millions of records and filling concert venues to realize he'd taken his "flaws from the 13th Ward" with him.

"Not once did a label executive or those around me convey that being me wasn't conducive to my future liberty. And not once, since the age of 15, was I able to take a break or encouraged to assess my behaviors," he wrote, later adding, "In fact, I received praise for 'keeping it real' from those I identified with, those I looked to for validation." 

He wrote that after his arrest on gun charges in 2009, "I became bitter. Defiant. I refused to blame my own behaviors and my own actions...Instead, I embraced age-old excuses such as: These crackers are just targeting me because I'm a successful young Black man." 

B.G. wrote he still believes his sentence was excessive but has come to realize "I'm responsible for my circumstance, my misperceptions, my actions" and "invited law enforcement to target me" through his actions. 

He wrote that if released, he'll return to his career ("I'm fully aware that I'm more popular today than I was prior to my arrest," he wrote) and his four children. 

"There are so many injustices that are subjects in today's national debate that I'd like to weigh in on, contribute my voice and influence to help resolve," he wrote. "I intend to spend the remainder of my career atoning through my actions, for the missteps of my early years."

In 2012, B.G. was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in connection with guns found during a traffic stop in eastern New Orleans. After his arrest, prosecutors tacked on a witness tampering charge, alleging that B.G. pressured two other passengers to take the blame for the weapons. 

During the case, federal prosecutors dissected B.G.'s song lyrics and music videos, asking a judge to use them as an aggravating factor to give the rapper additional time. They also accused him of aligning himself with two of the state's most notorious killers, citing a song where he referenced the men, the news site Nola.com reported at the time. 

U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan, who sentenced B.G., called his career "deplorable and sad" and said she believed his music "may have" contributed to violence, the news site reported. 

B.G. is currently set to be released from prison in 2024, according to public records. 

Written By: Nate Gartrell