Hot Boys On Deep Freeze - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Photo Credit: XXL

The rap world got rocked a couple of days ago 
with the arrest of popular rapper Bobby Shmurda
and his Gs9 crew at the infamous Quad Studios
in Manhattan, New York. This was the result of
a now-disclosed long term NYPD investigation of
Shmurda and the crew, an investigation that at
the time of arrest pinned 69 indictments on them
including murder. The NYPD also confiscated at
least 20 firearms and a small amount of crack
cocaine. Shmurda, having dealt with two prior
cases this year alone that saw him fire shots into
a barbershop and for unlicensed firearm possession 
faces up to over 20 years in jail. Now, this can all
easily be chalked up to youth and the certain brand
of stupidity that comes with it. The dude is 20, with
newly found fame thanks to that ‘Shmoney Dance’
viral video that had everyone from LeBron James to
Beyonce up on it. But there’s something else at work
here, something that does not bode well for any of 
these rappers who tout that ‘gun life’ as loosely as
their jeans may hang. That something is to be found
in the legal system’s laser-like focus on rap lyrics as
evidence against those on trial.

To be real, Shmurda basically fell prey to a multi-layered
situation that preys on young talent like his. It’s a situation
we’ve all known for quite some time exists in the rap
music industry. There is a need for labels now to find
and promote artists that will generate the most buzz
and in turn, the most money with one key element:
there is now a push to give artists that ‘street edge.’
Even if they have to catch a case to do it. This move 
has been in place for over a decade now. In building
with people involved in the music industry, there are
a bunch of stories of artists looking to be signed and
asked whether they’ve been arrested. So that can be
used as a selling point. Add an artist or group that is
so hungry and desperate to get on, especially if they
don’t exhibit any sense of self-care and you’ve got
gold. To be clear, this is not absolving Bobby Shmurda
or any of his crew for making horrible decisions. I
mean, when you run down the counts of indictment
in the record, some of it smacks of stupidity. One old
head I spoke with yesterday put it plainly to me: ‘All
these young dudes are hamburger, man. Straight
meat for the grinder.’ Translation? Shmurda and GS9
are now just more fuel for a machine that thrives on
people of color. And one can’t help but think of the
prison-industrial complex system at work here.

Photo Credit: New York Daily News

The legal system has increasingly used rap lyrics
as evidence against defendants in criminal cases
since the ‘90’s. It’s garnered attention heavily due
to a case in 2003 where Dennis Greene, an aspiring
rapper ruthlessly killed his wife then detailed it in a
later song. That led to his confession. But there’s 
an uptick in cases where prosectuors are adamant
about an absolutism that lyrics are an expression of
wrongdoing, rather than seeing that for a greater part
rappers take on two separate and distinct roles as 
author and narrator. Another prominent case was 
that of Antwain ‘Twain Gotti’ Steward in Virginia. 
where prosecutors were trying to prove that a song
he performed on implicated him as the perpetrator of 
a double murder in 2007. The court ruled that out, but
did find Steward guilty on a weapons charge. In addition
to that was the case of Vonte Skinner in New Jersey,
where prosecutors read 13 PAGES of lyrics into the court
record. Skinner was convicted of attempted murder in 
2008, but the ruling was overturned when a judge decreed
that he be given a second trial due to his appeal that the 
lyrics shouldn’t have been admitted as evidence. It’s become
apparent that this is a prejudicial tactic to coerce confessions
and get convictions that is being used by certain officials on
the state level. It’s attracted a bevy of legal scholars to the 
debate. But you won’t hear too much more about it because…
it’s rap. And there still is an inherent bias towards rap music
as a source of ill repute. In the case of Bobby Shmurda, he 
didn’t do himself any favors by essentially dry-snitching. And
making clear distinctions on who did what in his lyrics in his
interviews. Same goes for his crew. And the disclosure that
GS9 is possibly a moniker denoting affiliation with the Crips?
Problematic to say the least. 

But there is a weird area here. Consider that Sha Money XL,
affiliated as an A&R that helped Shmurda get the deal at
Epic Records was also arrested. Consider that the arrest
took place outside of Quad Studios, the same place that was
the site of Tupac Shakur being shot multiple times twenty 
years ago. If Bobby and GS9 were running this reckless on
the streets, the label HAD to have known. ‘Cause if they
were this careless with their actions, they probably were
doing so partly on the label’s dime. And that would make
them complicit through encouragement. Interscope has
had their share of this kind of ‘encouragement’ with the
notorious Chief Keef. And we’re all aware of the charges
levied against Interscope for their role in the prison-industry
complex. The public who enjoys the hip-hop culture and rap
music and are responsible should ask how it got this crazy,
outside of just looking at the surface level of stupidity. This
is not about having sympathy for the rapper or his crew without
recognizing what they may have done. This is about seeing the
bigger picture. This is about informing other rappers who saw
Shmurda’s rise to be extra cautious in how they conduct
themselves. This is about understanding once again that
there are certain elements of the music industry that are highly
predatory and still see these young - and a few older - cats as
nothing more than a one-dimensional product. Bobby and 
the GS9 crew may have thrown their lives away as easily
as that hat thrown into the air that started the rise. And
one can only hope more won’t follow suit.