YG was reportedly in a brief but heated exchange with police earlier this week that resulted in a minor citation. According to a TMZ report citing anonymous law enforcement sources, the traffic stop was initiated in part due to the window tinting on YG’s car and his lack of license plates.
“Law enforcement sources tell us...the rapper was cruising Wednesday night in his Mercedes-Maybach in Burbank when cops noticed dark tinted windows,” the report read. “We’re told they asked YG for his driver’s license and registration...and that's when things went awry.”
The Compton rapper allegedly told police, “No,” citing a fear of being hurt by police if he exited his vehicle. The report goes on to add that additional cars came for backup, and YG ultimately complied and exited his vehicle.
Rapper’s lyrics generally shouldn’t be taken at face value, however YG’s alleged behavior is in line with comments he made on the track “Police Get Away Wit Murder” from his 2016 album Still Brazy.
“Y’all murdered Tyler Woods in Long Beach/He was innocent/Y’all murdered 17 year old David Joseph who died in Texas/He was unarmed/Y’all murdered 16 year old Kimani Gray in New York City March 9, 2013,” YG said on the song’s outro, listing unarmed black men killed during confrontations with police.
If the report is true, officers would’ve likely had reason to stop YG for a possible violation of California Vehicle Code 26708.5, which reads as follows:
“(a) No person shall place, install, affix, or apply any transparent material upon the windshield, or side or rear windows, of any motor vehicle if the material alters the color or reduces the light transmittance of the windshield or side or rear windows, except as provided in subdivision (b), (c), or (d) of Section 26708.
The penalty for such a violation in California is usually what is commonly referred to as a “fix it ticket,” which calls for the offender to pay a relatively small fee and show proof that the tinting has been fixed to meet California Vehicle Code.
