Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz (or Lil Boosie) is urging a Lafayette school district to reinstate a principal it suspended for inviting the rapper to speak with children without the school board’s permission.
On Wednesday (April 29), the “Set It Off” rapper visited Lafayette, LA to promote his annual Boosie Bash concert taking place at the Cajundome on May 8th, 9th and 10th. Before stopping by the school, Boosie, born Torrence Hatch, received a proclamation from St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard. He honored the rapper with his own day, naming May 10 “Boosie Day.”
Upon receiving the honor, the “Wipe Me Down” rapper said he wanted to share the positive message with minority student at Northside High School. Although the rapper, known for his raunchy lyrics, did not perform for students, his appearance still ruffled feathers.
On Thursday (April 30), the Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) board ended up placing Northside High School Principal James Rollins on administrative leave. LPSS did not reveal a reason for the decision nor have any officials revealed if Rollins is on paid leave or for how long he’s been suspended.
However, sources told the Acadiana Advocate that Boosie visited the high school campus without district approval — from Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. — thus violating LPSS policy. On Friday (May 1), Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. released a statement following the incident.
“Lafayette Parish School System’s first priority is always the safety of our students and staff. LPSS approved a visit through our standard safety protocols and procedures by Lil Boosie to Carencro High School on Tuesday. A visit to another school campus that had not received prior approval from LPSS and did not follow standard approval standards is currently under review.”
Boosie Begs Lafayette Parish School System To Reinstate Suspended Principal After Unauthorized Visit To High School
Speaking with KADN (News 15) on Friday (May 1), Boosie said:
“I feel bad about it, man, because it was a genuine situation. All I did was said a few words to uplift the kids about life, about purpose, about things like that. I didn’t rap no music, nothing was rapped, all they did was played my music when I walked in. The kids enjoyed it. I just want to ask the person who is in charge to give this man a second chance, man.
[Rollins] said, ‘Man give these kids a few words. A lot of these kids look up to you.’ The words I gave these kids, I can tell they were actually listening. I went in there and gave these kids what I have been through, what not to do, what not to do if you want to be somebody. So, I would tell the school board to give this man another chance. I would really stress that.”
Boosie later took to his Instagram to continue urging LPSS to reinstate Rollins. He shared a 2-minute video pleading his case. The rapper captioned the post:
“We want to sincerely thank Lafayette for the incredible hospitality. It was a great day, and the love shown meant a lot to us — we truly appreciate it. ❤️ We would also like to respectfully ask the Lafayette Parish School Board to reconsider the principal’s position. From what we experienced, he did an outstanding job with security and made sure everything was handled the right way. More importantly, he came across as someone who genuinely cares about his students and made sure they had the opportunity to benefit from what we brought. We’re grateful for the experience and the support from the community. 🙏”
Principal James Rollins was was appointed to the position at Northside High School in June 2024. He has more than 25 years of experience in education. His background includes roles as a teacher, assistant principal, and school leader across several campuses in Louisiana’s Lafayette Parish.
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