Is Prison the New Fad?

December 14, 2009 • Marcus Backman  
Filed under Arts & Entertainment

Over the years, rap music has gone through its phases.  From rocking Adidas sneakers and track suits in the 80’s to the vibrant colors and the flashy gold jewelry of the 90’s,  it seems that as the music evolves, so do the fads.  But what seems to be the new hot thing for the new millennium?  Rappers and the law have always had their differences, some more than others, but it seems over the last several years that there has been a significant number of rappers running into legal troubles, most significantly, three of the most popular rap artists at the time: T.I., Lil Wayne, and Gucci Mane.

It was almost a year ago when the buzz surfaced about T.I. having to go to jail after being sentenced to a prison term of a year and a day after being arrested for purchasing weapons hours before his performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta.  The Georgia rapper was already in the spotlight for the new release of his much anticipated album “Paper Trail.”  Easily one of the most popular rappers in the business, T.I. was definitely at one of his highest points in his career and popularity prior his prison sentence.

Lil Wayne experienced the same events as T.I.  Mr. Carter is at the height of his career, in his prime, and highly disputed as one of the greatest rappers alive.  Shortly after concert in Manhattan, Wayne’s tour bus was stopped and searched and a loaded weapon was discovered on the bus.  DNA tests were ran and results came back that N.O. rapper’s finger prints were on the gun, giving ownership to the rapper.  The sentencing could not have came at a worse time for Wayne.  The rap artist just released a new mixtape while set to release his new album this month and another album next year.  As well as the debut album of his record label, Young Money’s “We Are Young Money,” was also set to release this month.  Wayne will start his one year sentence in February of next year.

Undoubtedly one of the most popular rapper of the year, Gucci Mane, has his own track record when it comes to legal issues.  Gucci was just sentenced to a year in prison this November after violating his parole.  It was just earlier this year in March that Gucci Mane was released from prison from not meeting his 600 volunteer hour requirement from a previous offense.  Prison and the name Gucci Mane seem synonymous these days.  Also perceived to be at the prime of his career, his fan base is at an all time high.  The rapper is set to release his newest album, “The State vs. Radric Davis”, this December and is predicted to be one of his best selling albums.

One thing that seems to be common amongst all these stories is that all three of these rappers seemed to be at the height of their careers.  It would make sense that going to prison would hurt their careers, but instead, it seems to have the opposite effect.  Going to prison gave each rapper a bigger spotlight and gave them priceless publicity from the media.  This publicity can easily lead to higher record sales and bigger fan bases, which always leads to the artist making more money.

So is it possible that jail can actually be good for you?  Of course prison is supposed to help better the offense and see the error of their ways, but at the same time, something like this can help boost the career of the artist incarcerated.  From this view, it seems that there is no clear way to truly punish the big named rappers for breaking the law.  Should there be a new form of punishment that punishes more thoroughly?  Not just for rappers, but instead for all type of high profile celebrities?  Perhaps there should be a form of punishment that demonstrates that no person is above the law and that the only benefit from going to jail is in the form of the convict bettering themselves.

Tags: is prison a new fad

 Email This Post        Print This Post