With Rapper Lil Wayne’s scheduled February 9th jail sentence start date growing ever more eminent, following the imprisonment of several other artists, one ponders as to whether members of the hip-hop community are being pointedly targeted.

Wayne faces gun and drug charges stemming from police retrieval of drugs and unregistered guns upon search of his tour bus.  Rapper T.I. was recently released from prison and is currently doing a stint at a “halfway house” after being convicted on weapons charges.  The Rapper stated that they were weapons he attempted to purchase after learning about a contract put on him.

Rapper Gucci Mane has been jailed after failing to properly document community service efforts, and was forced to cancel his DC appearances this past November to report for a one year sentence on an attempted assault charge.

Artist Lil Boosie is serving four years on charges related to “a bag of marijuana, a blunt and a gun,” according to Reuters.

At the heart of most of these cases is the presence of guns or drugs.

While understandably giving punishable offenses to the individual(s) given the guns’ lack of proper registration, one must consider that these weapons were carried in earnest attempts at artist protection. Rappers, who often face levels of increased danger/ threat, would in most cases be negligent to go about their activities without them.  The gun possession issue brings to mind the “coc vs crack” debate.  As most prominent entertainment figures protect themselves with security and guns, so how often do law enforcement officials check to see if their weapons are properly registered?

The presence of marijuana and in some cases small amounts of other drugs also reveals an imbalance of justice being served.

The American music scene has long been understood as leisurely, wild, and full of paraphernalia  (e.g the concept of the “rock star lifestyle”). However it seems persecution for this lifestyle falls disproportionately on hip hop artists as opposed to other artists and entertainment figures. We often gossip about non hip hop figures (pop and rock artists, actresses, etc) being landed in rehab not jail; public ridicule and disillusion serve as their punishment while hip hop artists are dealt with far more harshly.  Let us know what you think about the situation in the comments below.