'I Just Want My Son Back': Finesse2tymes’ Mother Reacts to His Latest Arrest

Finesse2Tymes, born Ricky Leshay Hampton, was booked into Harrison County Jail in East Texas on Monday after being arrested on multiple counts including possession of controlled substances, marijuana and tampering with evidence. (Photo Credit: Harris County Sheriff's Office)

The comeback keeps getting interrupted.

Memphis rapper Finesse2Tymes — real name Ricky Hampton — was arrested Monday in East Texas on a series of drug and tampering charges, marking yet another collision between fame and the life he’s long tried to outrun.

According to Harrison County jail records, the 33-year-old rapper was charged with multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance — including two counts for less than a gram and two counts for between one and four grams — as well as possession of less than two ounces of marijuana and possession of a “dangerous drug,” a Texas charge often linked to medications such as Xanax or Vicodin.

Police also accused Hampton of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and of bringing a prohibited substance into a correctional facility. He was booked Monday and released Tuesday, according to jail documents.

Case File

Finesse2Tymes — What We Know

Legal name: Ricky Leshay Hampton
Arresting authority: Texas Dept. of Public Safety (Harrison County)
Booking location: Harrison County Jail, Texas
Booking day: Monday (local time)
Custody status: Released Tuesday, per jail records

Charges noted by authorities:

• Possession of a controlled substance < 1 gram (2 counts)
• Possession of a controlled substance 1–4 grams (2 counts)
• Possession of marijuana < 2 ounces
• Possession of a “dangerous drug” (prescription-only medication)
• Prohibited substance in a correctional facility
• Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence

Context: The new arrest follows prior legal issues unrelated to this case. Court dates and filings for the current charges were not posted publicly at press time.

Source: Harrison County Jail records; Texas DPS briefing notes provided to local agencies.

The arrest adds another chapter to a turbulent story. Hampton, who has spoken publicly about trying to move past his time in federal prison for a weapons charge, was freed in 2022 and seemed to be rebuilding his career. But his recent years have been marked by controversy, personal struggles, and social media storms that sometimes overshadow his music.

On Tuesday, the artist’s mother, Pluria Alexander, took to Facebook to post an emotional message about her son’s arrest. “It breaks me to see my son losing himself — mentally unstable, going through breakdowns, on drugs, in and out of jail,” she wrote. “I love him with everything in me, but it hurts so bad watching him self-destruct. I know that’s not the real him… that’s the pain, the trauma, and the demons he’s fighting.”

Her words hit with the kind of raw truth that’s hard to ignore. In August, Alexander had launched a GoFundMe after alleging her son’s choices had left her facing eviction for the third time.

For fans, it’s another painful moment in a career that’s always balanced resilience and self-sabotage. Hampton’s 2022 breakout “Back End” cemented his street appeal, while collaborations with Moneybagg Yo and Gucci Mane hinted at a possible mainstream rise. But each brush with the law seems to drag him back into the world he’s been rapping about since the beginning — a world of contradictions, survival, and second chances that never quite stick.

Brandy Cites Dehydration After Abruptly Ending Chicago Concert With Monica

The reunion Windy City fans had waited decades for took an unexpected turn Saturday night when Brandy Norwood abruptly left the stage during “The Boy Is Mine Tour” stop with Monica at Chicago’s United Center — and never returned.

Midway through her set, Brandy paused and told the crowd, “Give me one second, y’all, I gotta get my—,” before walking backstage. She never came back, leaving Monica to finish the concert solo. Their 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine,” the duet that defined late ’90s R&B and inspired the tour’s name, went unperformed.

pic.twitter.com/sWWB9YeWz7

— b r a n d y (@4everBrandy) October 19, 2025

By Sunday morning, Brandy broke her silence. “After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint,” the Grammy winner wrote in a verified Instagram post. “Everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance.”

She continued, “I attempted to return to the stage but found it impossible to fully connect sonically with the production. I want to thank my fans for your overwhelming love, support, and—most importantly—your prayers. I also want to thank Monica for stepping up with such grace and professionalism.”

@newzonetv Prayers up for @brandy she left the stage abruptly and @MONICA🤎 speaks to the crowd and gives Brandy her flowers! Two Queens wishing them the best on the rest of the tour! #theboyismine #brandy #monica #chicago ♬ original sound - Jaz

Brandy confirmed she received medical attention immediately after leaving the venue and was advised to rest before continuing the tour. “I’m okay now,” she said, adding that she plans to rejoin the tour this week.

The Chicago stop was the third show on Brandy and Monica’s co-headlining tour — their first in more than 25 years. The tour opened Oct. 16 in Cincinnati and continues through mid-November with stops in Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles.

Months After ‘Lightyear’ Remarks Drew Criticism, Snoop Dogg Drops ‘Love Is Love’ for Glaad’s Spirit Day

Snoop Dogg has spent a career flipping expectations. But this week’s move — dropping a children’s song about LGBTQ+ families after publicly stumbling on the same topic months ago — might be one of his most unexpected reversals yet.

Earlier this year, Snoop said a screening of Disney’s “Lightyear” with his grandson “threw [him] for a loop” when the boy asked about the film’s lesbian couple. “I didn’t come here for this,” he told a podcast host, adding that he didn’t have the answers. The backlash came quick: how could a man who’s preached love, unity, and evolution be so uneasy about a Pixar kiss?

Fast-forward to October. Snoop partnered with GLAAD to release “Love Is Love,” a new song from his YouTube series "Doggyland," timed with Spirit Day — the organization’s national anti-bullying campaign for LGBTQ youth. The track, sung by cartoon dogs with preschool-friendly beats, insists that “no two parents are the same, but the love won’t change.” It’s deliberately simple — not an apology, but a public correction.

“I felt like this music is a beautiful bridge to bringing understanding,” Snoop said in a filmed conversation with Jeremy Beloate, an openly queer artist who competed on his Voice team. “These are things kids have questions about. Now hopefully we can help them live a happy life and understand that love is love.”

That humility may surprise some longtime fans. For decades, Snoop has represented a particular brand of West Coast masculinity — smooth, funny, charismatic, but grounded in the coded norms of old-school rap. So when he faced criticism for how he handled "Lightyear," his response wasn’t to double down but to recalibrate in public. It’s not brand management; it’s self-education.

What’s striking is the medium. Hip-hop has had plenty of protest songs, but almost no bedtime stories about inclusion. "Doggyland," Snoop’s kid-focused series, already promoted kindness and literacy; now it’s modeling empathy. That’s not something you can fake in a market where kids notice contradictions faster than adults.

Still, the gesture comes with baggage. Some fans see “Love Is Love” as image rehab — a late pivot after months of social-media dragging. But even that tension speaks to something bigger. When an artist as visible as Snoop evolves on camera, it says more about generational change inside hip-hop itself. The culture that once defined toughness through resistance is now old enough to define it through growth.

In his GLAAD statement, Snoop put it plainly: “Spreading love and respect for everybody is what real gangstas do. We’re showing the next generation that kindness is cool, inclusion is powerful, and love always wins.” It’s both a wink and a warning — that empathy, in 2025, might be the hardest flex of all.

Because hip-hop doesn’t need another PSA. It needs its elders to keep learning out loud.