Another Hip Hop Artist Faces Gun Charges
Part of the problem with the issue of gun rights in this country is that a few really, really – and we do mean – really bad apples spoil it for the bunch. This is especially true when it comes to athletes and hip hop artists. This week MTV News is reporting, “B.G. Indicted On Federal Gun and Obstruction Charges.” But that’s not, to hear this one, is enough to make every law-abiding gun owner cringe with anger:
“B.G., 30 was arrested in November 2009 for weapons possession, while driving in New Orleans. Police said two of the three guns that the rapper was caught with had been reported stolen.
“Prosecutors allege that the rapper tried to get an associate to claim ownership of the guns and because of that he now faces obstruction charges as well.”
What is also amazing is the response in other media outlets. The hip hop website Kicks and Chicks offered this thought:
“The potential prison sentence comes at a bad time for B.G. The rapper recently reconciled his differences with Birdman and Cash Records in 2010 after their financial dispute nine years before.”
The prison sentence comes at a bad time? Maybe B.G. should have thought about that before driving around with stolen guns trying to play the part of a street thug.
No doubt this case will result in all sorts of commentary from the hip hop community on how B.G. shouldn’t serve a long jail time because he is an artist, a role model to the community and basically “made a mistake.” The problem is that he’s a rich man who can hire an army of lawyers.
We say, throw the book at him. Maybe a sentence of 10 years sounds about right. That will give him time to get his story straight.
Rappers Speak Out About Guns After Facing Prison Time
There is an old saying that the crime is the thing you did, not the fact that you got caught. Maybe rappers such as Ja Rule and T.I. should keep that fact in mind. In a truly bizarre turn of events both rappers are speaking out against illegal guns but only after being arrested for possession of illegal firearms!
In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule offered this thought:
“I think it’s important for a voice like myself or a T.I. who actually have gun issues to be the ones to speak out guns and putting guns down and gang violence.”
While we are happy to hear that these rappers are trying to be better role models, we still question the motivation. Are they speaking out against guns because they think it is the right thing to do or just because they were caught?
One Law for The Rich and Famous?
Hoodlum rapper Lil’ Wayne (Dwayne Carter) is finally going to where he belongs… jail. What is upsetting about this story is not that the convicted rapper, who was arrested for having a machinegun on his tour bus, had his sentencing postponed twice, but that fans don’t think it is fair he’s going way.
From MTV.com, wrote one reader:
“Wow, that really sucks. I think that this is so stupid. … He is a good artist and donates a lot of money to charities. I hope he gets out early!!!”
And Vibe magazine offered this take:
“In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, everyone from Drake to Baby to Young Jeezy went on the record to talk about how much they’re going to miss Lil Wayne while he’s locked up on Rikers Island for the next year (or the next eight months with good behavior, as some folks are already hoping).”
Clearly any regular gangsta from the streets wouldn’t get this level of love. Shameful to say the least.
Rapper B.G. is Hopeful in Gun Case? Seriously?
What is with MTV? Can’t the liberal-minded “music” network see the writing on the wall, or at least its own Web site? While reporting about rapper, in an article titled ”B.G. Is Optimistic About Gun-Possession Case,” the news channel starts out by saying:
“This week, B.G. saw his friend Lil Boosie sent to jail after violating probation on a gun charge. His former Hot Boys bandmate Lil Wayne is expected to be sentenced to a year in prison for gun possession too. And last week, B.G. himself was charged with illegal gun possession in New Orleans.”
While the mainstream media goes on and on about the “culture” of guns, the real danger is the culture of violence and the embracement of a gangster (or is that gangsta) lifestyle by men like B.G. Worse, when caught red-handed, B.G. is downright smug. To MTV he says:
“My lawyers told me, don’t worry about nothing, they got it. They gonna take care of it. The police report was written up real, real bad, so I feel good about it.”
Well B.G, we at FirearmsTruth do hope you get it, as in the jail time you deserve. You and your celebrity thug friends are bad news for those of us who are law abiding. We just can’t afford the lawyers who will tell, “don’t worry about nothing.”
MTV Asks Stupid Question Regarding Lil Wayne
MTV isn’t much about “the music” these days, but it certainly supports musicians whenever given the chance. The latest example is an article that ran this weekend with the headline: “Why is Lil Wayne’s Sentence so Severe?”
MTV is just another outlet that does the usual PSA’s saying “increasing the peace,” while still hyping up the lifestyles of so-called gangsta rappers and other celebrity thugs. So when Jayson Rodriguez writes that Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year for illegal firearms possession, yet points out that he could have faced more time, we’re left to wonder why MTV asks stupid questions. In fact the article says:
“Had the rapper not struck a deal with prosecutors, he could have been looking at a mandatory minimum of three and a half years in prison if he was found guilty by trial.”
The real question is whether the average citizen would have gotten such a deal, so maybe MTV I ask you, “why’d Lil Wayne get such a little sentence?
