Man has always known that music soothes the soul and thrills the mind. Thus he has always been willing to praise and venerate those whose skill at music are fantastic.
The fame, money, and praise that majority of the musicians are regularly exposed to possibly make them believe they’re above the law and liberal to commit all kinds of crimes. This article will highlight 9 popular musicians who are currently behind bars and the reasons why they are there.
Lets begin.
1. Suge Knight
Gangstar rap owes an undeniable debt of gratitude to Marion Hugh Suge Knight Jr and without him at the helm of Death Row records, the genre might not have achieved its dizzying heights.
As Death Row CEO, Suge Knight shared the release of possibly two of the most iconic albums in Gangster rap history. “The Chronic” by Dr Dre in 1992 and “Doggy Style” by Snoop dogg in 93. The label prospered with acts like Tupac, Dre and Snoop Dogg.
Suge Knight spent most of the late 90s and early years of this century in jail for one infraction or another and eventually lost control and ownership of Death Row records on January 29, 2015.
Suge Knight was involved in a hit and run on the street that resulted in the demise of one person and the injury of another. On september of 2018, he got 28 years jail sentence.
2. C-Murder
C-Murder’s real name is Corey Miller and he’s both a rapper and a songwriter as well as a Gulf War Veteran. He shot to the limelight during the middle part of the 90s. The guy put out several solo albums, with “Life or Death” in 1998 going platinum. C-Murder released albums on labels like C.O.T records, True records, RBC records, Venti Uno and Asylum records.
The year 2002 saw the rapper getting charged with murder. On August 14, 2009, he was handed a life imprisonment sentence. C-Murder is currently held at the Louisiana State penitentiary.
C-Murder has never accepted responsibility for what he was accused of and sentenced for, instead he consistently maintains his innocence while demanding a new trial.
Big names such as Kim Kardashian and Monica have kept calling for his release.
3. R Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly is often called the King of R&B. Some of his biggest hits include “I believe i can fly”, “Bump n grind” and “Gotham City”, with the first netting him three Grammy awards.
His global album sales have exceeded 75 million and for that and other reasons, he is regarded as one of the best-selling music artists ever. R Kelly ruled much of the 90s and it was around that time that allegations first serviced that he had engaged in some very improper behaviour with minors. He mostly shrugged off these and other charges.
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On February 22nd 2019, R Kelly was charged with a slew of crimes and on July 11, 2019, he was arrested on some pretty significant charges. As of January 29, 2021, the guy is facing 29 Federal charges including forced labour, kidnapping, human trafficking, racketeering and obstruction of justice.
He has not had his day in court yet and is currently a guest of the Metropolitan correctional center in Chicago. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
4. Vybz Kartel
Adidja Azim Palmer, better known as Vybz Kartel, is one of the biggest exports from Jamaica in recent times and he earns a good living as a singer, composer, entrepreneur and record producer.
Most of his fans love him for his flamboyance as well as his music. Vybz Kartel kicked off his entertainment career as a teen and has worked with acts like Rihanna, Jay-Z and Major Lazer. He has been widely praised most notably by Drake who cited Kartel as one of his biggest inspirations.
Kartel is widely successful, but he is also a convict who is currently serving a life sentence for taking the life of an associate. His murder conviction happened in 2014 and he’s expected to serve a minimum of 35 years reduced to 32 years six months on appeal.
5. Tay-K 47
Taymor Travon McIntyre’s biggest hit is “The race”, a song about gang life and his legal issues. It was released while he was being hunted by law enforcement personnel. After fleeing from house arrest on murder charges, that song rose to number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has been remixed by artists like Fetty Wap and Tyga.
The song also got a Platinum certification in January 2018, with the official video currently boasting over 230 million YouTube views.
Tay-K got nabbed in New Jersey on June 30, 2017 and at that time he had been on the run for about three months. The circumstances of his arrest aroused great interest on social media and his management team took advantage of that by releasing his debut mixtape on July 29 2017.
On July 2019, the youngster got a murder and aggravated robbery conviction and was given 55 years for the murder, 30 years on a single aggravated robbery charge and two 13-year sentences on two other aggravated robbery charges. Tay-K was additionally fined a total of $21,000.
6. BG
BG stands for Baby Gangstar and it is the stage name of Christopher Noel Dorsey, a New Orleans rapper who kicked his life into high gear by signing with Cash Money Records in 1996. The next year, he teamed up with Lil Wayne and others to put together the Hot Boys music group. In 2001, he quit Cash Money and started the Chopper City record label.
Early in November of 2009, somewhere in New Orleans, BG was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. His car was searched and guns were found with two of these having been stolen. He was arrested and booked on an illegal carrying of weapons charge.
On February 2010 and on July 12, 2012, he was found guilty of gun possession and witness tampering and given a 14-year sentence.
7. Big Lurch
Antron Singleton is the birth name of rapper Big Lurch. He used to be a member of the Cosmic Slot Shop hip hop group. The guy is currently in prison and is a convict serving a life sentence for taking the life of his roommate.
The act happened on April 10, 2002. Later Big Lurch was found in the streets drenched in blood and was arrested. Testimony from the victim’s boyfriend revealed that the rapper had consumed PCP within 24 hours of the act, but that was not enough of an extenuating circumstance to prevent his being sentenced to life in prison.
Read: How Rihanna became a Billionaire.
Big Lurch is currently taking up living space at the California State prison in Sacramento California.
8. Young QC
99 years, that’s how much time Young QC was given behind bars. The sentence was passed in early 2020, although it seem overly harsh, but wait till you hear what this aspiring rapper did.
Qaw’mane Wilson, a.k.a Young QC, is a convict who paid a hit man to kill Yolanda Holmes, his mom. Holmes had been a loving mother, spoiling her son with affection and giving him pretty much whatever he wanted. But that wasn’t enough for Young QC, who paid Eugene Spencer to execute her on September 2012.
The prodigal son cleared his late mom’s bank accounts, spending wildly and having a good time until the law caught up with him in 2013. In early 2020, the hitman was given a hundred year sentence while Young QC got 99 years sentence.
9. Austin Jones
Austin Jones was a YouTuber and talented musician who frequently toured the globe and whose career lasted from 2007 to 2017. Perhaps his best work was an EP titled “Will Fall Together” in 2014, which reached number 12 on the iTunes chart.
He was also known for covers and works by alternative bands and was popular with teenagers. His YouTube channel at one time reached 540,000 subscribers.
On May 2015, reports surfaced that Jones had been engaged in improper behaviour with underaged fans. On June 12, 2017, his Illinois home was searched by homeland security personnel as part of an investigation and he was arrested on that very day.
He later pled guilty as charged and was given a 10-year sentence which started on june 28, 2019.
