There’s a strong chance that Meek Mill is going back to prison after a Philadelphia judge found that he violated his probation, TMZ reports. Meek reportedly failed a drug test and left town without getting permission from the court first.
Meek Mill has been in and out of court, bringing in friends and relatives to testify about how he’s a changed man and can be of more service to his family and the public if he’s free and not behind bars. During his latest court appearance Thursday, he “broke down on the stand,” TMZ reports, pleading with the judge for more than an hour and trying to convince her that his gangsta image is not real.
“I’m not a gangsta. I’m not a criminal,” the Philadelphia rapper said. “I have my queen, Nicki [Minaj], now. I’m trying to do better and feel like I can be the best rapper out there.”
Minaj testified at an earlier court date and said that she’s been trying to help Meek live a more structured and positive life.
Meek apologized for calling the district attorney a “bitch” in a song. But despite all of his efforts, the judge forbid him from leaving a five-county area in and around Philadelphia and postponed his sentencing until February.
His peers in the entertainment industry voiced their support for Meek and slammed the criminal-justice system.
There’s the idea that prosecutors ought to be paying more attention to overzealous cops and the bigger fish who are doing structural damage to working-class communities, and not to rappers like Meek Mill who have such a strong influence over the youth.