HipHop and Crime

The strong relationship between hiphop artists and jail time is undeniable. I’m not saying that every hiphop artist has been, or will be, in jail. But there is a definite trend in the hiphop industry; the big names that come to mind are T.I., Lil’ Wayne, and Gucci Mane. T.I. was sentenced to 366 days in the slammer on felony weapon charges. Lil’ Wayne got one year in prison on gun possession charges. Gucci Mane served 90 days on drug possession charges, then again for assault, and is currently serving a six-month stay for violating probation.

Why is this a prominent trend?

One big factor is skin color. I do not think that every black person is involved in crime, nor do I think every black celebrity supports crime. However, due to crime involvement, many black celebrities get put in this negative light. The fact is that racism still exists today. It’s just ignored. The law will make an example out of a celebrity’s mistakes for black adolescents, while the media is ready to report controversial stories for higher ratings. For these motives, the obvious target is a hiphop artist that screwed up. They’re idolized by inner city people and their race creates controversy.

Celebrities shouldn’t get preferential treatment for breaking the law. However, the law should not be harder on black celebrities. The system shouldn’t use mistakes as a chance to make an example out of black celebrities and the media shouldn’t feed off the story just for money.