Screenshot via YouTube
30 Deep Grimeyy in his "Dead Goofies" music video.
One of St. Louis' biggest rap stars is set to go on trial in federal court Monday.
Arthur Pressley, better known as 30 Deep Grimeyy, is facing charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and obstruction of justice.
Pressley has released numerous music videos with millions of views on YouTube. His video for "Grim Reapa Flow" has 14 million views. "Dead Goofies" has almost that many as well.
About "Goofies," the RFT's Kosta Longmire and Ben Simon wrote in April, "The song has no chorus. No auto-tune. It’s straight rap, jam-packed with so many specific people, street names and neighborhoods that it’s indecipherable to anyone not from St. Louis.
"For four straight minutes, Grimeyy name-drops all of his enemies. Forgetting that he could be incriminating himself, forgetting the potential for retaliation."
According to court filings from federal prosecutors, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been investigating the 30 Deep gang for over a year when on January 5, 2021, St. Louis police pulled over a Pontiac G8 with Pressley inside.
The brief filed by prosecutors says that the car's tail light was out and that its license plate was registered to a Jeep.
The filing goes on to say that a Beretta 92FS 9mm was in plain view inside the vehicle and that previous social media postings by Pressley show him holding the same gun.
Pressley pleaded guilty to an unlawful use of a weapon charge in 2016, a felony, making it illegal for him to be in possession of a gun like the one prosecutors allege he had.
The obstruction of justice charge stems from what federal prosecutors say happened after the traffic stop.
According to the brief, in February 2021 Pressley texted the person who originally purchased the Beretta, encouraging him to falsify a bill of sale for the weapon.
Pressley defense attorney Dramon Foster says his client "was never in possession of the weapon that they're alleging he was possession of."
Regarding next week's trial, Foster adds, "We feel extremely good about it and we're happy to finally have our day in court to prove his innocence."
Foster says that photos of Pressley that prosecutors refer to in court filings were taken at shoots for music videos, and many of Pressley's videos begin with disclaimers that all the weapons shown on screen are props.
"It's all within the context of his art and what he does," Foster says.
Foster adds that anybody who's followed Pressley's recent output will notice there haven't been weapons of any kind, prop or otherwise, in his videos since early 2021.
"He's made a conscious decision to move away from that," Foster says.
Pressley is facing state gun possession charges, too. Those charges, filed in January 2021, are also still pending.
After getting released from St. Louis County jail in 2021, Pressley dropped the song and accompanying video, "First Day Out."
"Shout out to my lawyer Mr. Foster, made the PA look stupid," Pressley raps. "The judge gave me house arrest and said 'good luck with your music.'"
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