10 Rappers We Wish Weren’t In Prison
Well, it’s official: T.I. reported to the judge today to plead guilty to his weapons charges, and got formally sentenced to a year and a day (which could well end up being less when time served on house arrest gets taken into consideration). Clifford gets to voluntarily head to jail sometime after May 19, which gives him a couple of months extra to finish making the world a better place.
Needless to say, we’re making sad-face emoticons over here at Complex; not only is the civilian population losing one of the South’s finest lyricists and a genuinely smart and likable dude, but it’s just one more objectively great emcee who gets chalked into the “Incarcerated” category. There’s more than 20 rappers locked up right now, but since we don’t really fux with shermhead cannibals, we had to narrow it down to our 10 favorite (including Tip). For a look at the other nine, read on…
CHI ALI
• Crime: Murder
• Incarceration Location: Elmira Correctional Facility
• Why We Miss Him: Who else got to be down with Native Tongues when they were 16? That shit was like Harry Potter levels of crazy for adolescent rap heads in the ’90s.
TRAGEDY
• Crime: Criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree
• Incarceration Location:Riker’s Island, NYC
• Why We Miss Him: He pioneered naming yourself after an international despot. If the Intelligent Hoodlum hadn’t become Tragedy Khadafi, we wouldn’t have legends like Noreaga, let alone MC Slobodan Milosevic (he’s serbin’ fools!).
PRODIGY
• Crime: Gun possession
• Incarceration Location: Gouverneur Correctional Facility, New York
• Why We Miss Him: Thankfully, we have his third eye shining on us through the internetz, so it’s almost like he’s still here–but we still miss that gruff-ass voice. He and Alc are like the Julius and Vincent of this rap game.
TURK
• Crime: Second-degree attempted murder, firearm possession
• Incarceration Location: Shelby County Jail, Memphis
• Why We Miss Him: Because without Turk, we’re denied our Hot Boy fix. Uh, pause.
NUMSKULL
• Crime: 15 felony charges, including rape, sodomy, and “forced oral copulation”
• Incarceration Location: Santa Rita Jail, Dublin CA (last confirmed location)
• Why We Miss Him: He still owes us 5 bucks!
SHYNE
• Crime: First-degree assault and wreckless endangerment. Or, in common parlance, “taking the fall for Puff.”
• Incarceration Location: Woodbourne Correctional Facility, NY
• Why We Miss Him: Moses Michael Leviy might be the hardest Jewish cat in the bing behind Bernie Madoff, but Hanukkah’s just not the same without him.
DMX
• Crime: Aggravated assault while serving a 90-day sentence for drug possession, theft and animal cruelty. No comment.
• Incarceration Location: Tent City Jail, Arizona
• Why We Miss Him: Who else are we supposed to get our political commentary from?
BLACK ROB
• Crime: Grand Larceny
• Incarceration Location: Riker’s? Elmira? Woodburne? He’s been everywhere by now, so your guess is as good as ours.
• Why We Miss Him: It’s more that we’re just worried we’ll never see him again. After all, this is the guy who said “if I go to jail again I’m going under the bing”…
MYSTIKAL
• Crime: Extortion, sexual battery
• Incarceration Location: Elayne Hunt Correctional Facility, Louisiana
• Why We Miss Him: Listening to Mystikal was like hanging out with Saafir the Saucee Nomad after he drank a case of Red Bull. This dude raps so damn enthusiastically it sounds like he might fuck around and mow your lawn at any second. With his teeth.
yo March 28, 2009 at 12:06 am
you, isnt Black ROb dead?
Ha! March 28, 2009 at 1:41 am
“Fuck around and mow your lawn at any second. With his teeth.” That’s a quotable.
joe biden March 28, 2009 at 2:25 am
where the hell is flesh n bone ?
Juston Perez March 28, 2009 at 4:25 am
What about C-Murder?
GeneParmesann March 28, 2009 at 10:16 am
F–k this list. Rappers we wish weren’t in prison? Crimes:
Murder
15 felony charges, including rape, sodomy, and “forced oral copulation”
sexual battery
Second-degree attempted murder
Most of these people are in jail because they DESERVE to be.
FloBama March 28, 2009 at 10:51 am
Nah… Ras Kass. He’s the only one that should be home because he’s the most talented and his crime was the least offensive. FREE RAS KASS!!
KThundo March 28, 2009 at 12:54 pm
FAIL with this list in every way…
pink slip this cat.
moneyman March 28, 2009 at 3:22 pm
DAMN YALL FOOLS 4GOT BOUT MAC FROM NO LIMIT
Above March 28, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Free Tragedy & Prodigy!
Ha! March 29, 2009 at 2:46 pm
^^No ya’ll fools just don’t read the lead. “We had to narrow it down to our 10 favorite (including Tip).” Dumb fucks.
yeah fool! March 29, 2009 at 5:07 pm
flesh n bone is out of prison…finally.
all the bone thug n harmony dudes were in concert together 2 months back…
mic watta March 29, 2009 at 6:11 pm
No disrespect but yea where tha fck is mac? One of the only south cats that lyrically could hand 90% of east coasts mc’s they ass on a plate. Hold ya head mac. Check out that nu documentary bout him being wrongfully convicted on his myspace.
Myspace.com/micwatta
Miguel March 29, 2009 at 8:09 pm
What about SPM from houston
SPM March 29, 2009 at 9:51 pm
^^Who cares?
Weisberg Slim March 30, 2009 at 10:19 am
Isn’t South Park Mexican a child molester? No kiddy diddlers on anyone’s top ten, maing.
Prof.Shucks March 30, 2009 at 1:22 pm
When does Mystikal get out?
kevin f May 23, 2009 at 11:48 pm
I see you have Chi Alion this list you got to be kidding he shot and killed a female because he couldn’t have his way what a bitch,Numskull don’t know what to say.I guess you expect our kids to idolize these idiots.Now hustling not saying it’s right but sometimes you have to do what you have to and Shyne puffy must be going to pay his ass when he gets out thats a lot of time he’s doing.I don’t even listen to todays rap because i don’t support sensless idiots,everybody has to carry a gun get arerested it makes them big and bad, if rap ended today none of their silly asses would get a job because their felons get a education invest.don’t be for the children now and a thug later one or the other.
Claire August 3, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Cool C from Hilltop Hustlers, classic hip hop… on Pennsylvania’s death row (SCI Greene)… he’d be on my list!
Ron August 15, 2009 at 12:26 am
Its a list of talented rappers who are in jail we wish weren’t so we could hear their music, not who we admire most to all yall who are tripping about the crimes they did