Hip-hop is united behind #FreeMeekMill
After a shock sentencing, fellow artists sent the Philly rapper messages of support.
On Monday evening, Meek Mill was sentenced to two to four years in prison on probation violations. The ruling was a shock to the prosecution, who recommended Meek not be imprisoned — two of the charges that led to his sentence had been dropped, though Judge Genece Brinkley's decision cited a failed drug test and Meek's purported failure to adhere to her travel restrictions. In a bizarre and troubling twist, Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has suggested that Brinkley's judgement could have been influenced by the rapper's decision not to record of cover of the Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" and give her a shout out.
After the court adjourned, the world of hip-hop came to the defense of Meek Mill, who has been on probation as a civilian since a 2008 gun and drug charge when he was 18. Many were following the lead of JAY-Z, who pledged solidarity with Meek in a rousing Facebook post on Monday night. "We will always stand by and support Meek Mill, both as he attempts to right this wrongful sentence and then in returning to his musical career," he wrote. Below, read just some of the artists and figures in rap who are sending Meek Mill love over the internet.