MURDER They Rapped

From platinum stars to local heroes, hip-hop artists are seeing their lyrics used against them in criminal trials; here’s a look at a problematic and growing trend through the eyes of the accused

JEFF WEISS

There was no discernible reason for the police to follow Drakeo the Ruler that afternoon. As he later told me, no traffic violations were committed; no weed was smoked. But constitutional questions of rightful search and seizure don’t seem to trouble the cops patrolling South Central Los Angeles, and so a brief drive to the liquor store last winter ended with L.A.’s most original rap stylist since Snoop Dogg handcuffed, accused of illegal possession of a firearm and looking on as law enforcement showed him his own videos and rapped his own lyrics at him. Things only got weirder from there. Over the next several weeks, other members of Drakeo’s crew, the Stinc Team, were also arrested. The charges ranged from first-degree murder to commercial burglary, enhanced by the threat…

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Playboy Australia (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2019

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