Since the genre's beginnings, rappers have had tumultuous relations with police. As there has been a renewed focus on police brutality over the past couple of years -- specifically with regard to the black community, it's clear that police relations with rappers, even of the most successful variety, have not improved either. Their success may afford them worthy lawyers, but it has also made them targets of police officers looking for high-profile arrests.
Here are five incidents, all within the past year, that rappers have been unjustly targeted by police.
Offset Arrested for a Bogus Parking Ticket
Offset spent nearly eight months of last year in jail, for charges of drugs and weapons possession stemming from an arrest made last April during a concert at Georgia Southern University. Quavo and Takeoff were also arrested, though they were soon released, unlike Offset, who was denied bond due to his past record.
Offset had to accept a plea deal in order to gain release in December, and earlier this month, he was arrested again -- this time, for no reason at all. Apparently he was pulled over for having tinted windows and police then handcuffed him and put him in jail for allegedly not having paid an old traffic ticket.
Upon his release, for which he posted $1900 bail, it was soon reported that he had indeed paid for that ticket, and thus, the entire arrest took place on false grounds. Quavo recently denied that Offset would be pursuing legal action against the police force, but anyone who's never been to jail should realize the egregiousness of locking someone in a cell on baseless charges. Especially someone who had just been in there for eight months.
Blac Youngsta Arrested at an Atlanta Wells Fargo
While on a recent trip to Atlanta, Memphis rapper Blac Youngsta decided that he wanted a new Benz, and he soon went to a local Wells Fargo to take out the necessary paper: $200,000. A bold move, no doubt, and many police cars soon stormed the surrounding parking lot and arrested Youngsta outside of the bank.
There had been a fraudulent check cashed for $24,000 at the same Wells Fargo, and cops believed that Youngsta matched the suspect's description, i.e. he was black. It turns out, Youngsta had never cashed a check at Wells Fargo (he doesn't believe in checks), and -- though this isn't on the cops -- Wells Fargo released a statement claiming that Youngsta never had an account with the bank, which the CMG rapper soon proved to be untrue.
Youngsta smartly cut his ties with Wells Fargo in favor of a new account with Bank of America, and though he was never charged and was eventually given back the money that was rightfully his, that doesn't make up for being pinned down against the asphalt of a public parking lot and getting handcuffed in broad daylight for -- again -- no reason at all.
Kevin Gates Escorted out of Mall by 7 Officers
Late last year, Kevin Gates and his BWA crewmate OG Boobie Black were escorted out of a mall by at least seven police officers for reasons that are still unclear. He posted a short video of the officers demanding that he leave to his Instagram. "No matter what I always conduct myself as a gentleman," he wrote in the post's caption. Several officers to escort a man -- one showing no signs of resistance -- out of a shopping mall? Big up to Gates for handling the situation in such a composed manner. He's likely dealt with similar unjust scenarios many times before.
Snoop Dogg Forced to Submit to Drug Test in Sweden
Last summer, while on a tour of E.U., Snoop Dogg proved that America isn't the only country in which racial profiling exists. On both sides of the Atlantic, unchecked power leads to corruption. After performing a concert in a small college town in Sweden, he was pulled over, put in a police car, and taken to the station, where he was forced to pee in a cup. They didn't find anything and Snoop was eventually let go, though the incident certainly ruined his visit to the beautiful Nordic country. Safe to say he won't be back.
Young Thug made sensational headlines last summer when he was arrested on charges of terroristic threats. That's right, the police force in the small town of Dunwoody, GA tried to paint our beloved Thugger as a terrorist. The cops weren't the ones who raided his home and took him to jail, though; instead, they handed that duty over to the U.S. Marshals.
The arrest was made without incident, meaning that the Marshals were able to search Thug's property, and they ended up finding drugs and weapons, adding both of those charges on top the initial one for terrorism. They even seized all of his computers and studio equipment, though, luckily, his trusty engineer, Alex Tumay, had made backups of his most important work.
It was soon discovered that Thug was initially charged for making a violent threat to a security guard who forced him to leave a mall for refusing to get off his hoverboard. His forced exit was likely akin to that of Kevin Gates, though regardless, threatening Paul Blart shouldn't lead to a full-on raid and unwarranted search of one's suburban home.
As far as we know, Thug is still awaiting trial for the initial arrest as well as the possession charges. Hopefully the trial won't impeded upon his current winning streak.