JAY-Z Slams ‘Unjust and Heavy-Handed’ Meek Mill Prison Sentence
On Monday (Nov. 6), rapper Meek Mill was sentenced to 2-4 years in prison for violating his probation; with many reacting on social media with shock, disappointment and outrage at the judge's decision. One such observer is JAY-Z, who made clear his feelings on the matter with a Facebook post late Monday night.
"The sentence handed down by the Judge -- against the recommendation of the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer -- is unjust and heavy handed," Jay wrote. "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."
As was earlier reported, Judge Genece E. Brinkley sentenced the rapper after ruling that he'd violated multiple provisions of his probation from a 2008 drug and gun case. Brinkley cited Mill's two arrests this year and he and his managers scheduling concerts that required travel despite the judge barring performances outside of Philadelphia or Montgomery County. The judge chided Mill for not performing his community service to her liking; she'd visited the rapper as he was supposed to be feeding the homeless at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia—but when she arrived, she saw him sorting clothes.
“I gave you break after break and you basically just thumbed your nose at this court,” Brinkley told Mill.
The criminal justice system has been a recurring subject for the rapper/mogul this year. The JAY-Z-produced documentary TIME: The Kalief Browder Story aired on FX early this year. Jay also penned an essay for The Hollywood Reporter about social change in June.
"Social justice isn't a political issue. It's a human issue," he wrote. "It's a story of empathy. When we are able to identify that we are all not perfect and have compassion for someone else, we can move forward as a society."