Drug deals gone awry.
Illegal firearm possession.
Murder charges.
From young up-and-comers to a mid-'90s superstar, these rappers ended up behind bars because
they practiced what they preached — or worse.
Convicted felon Ricardo Burgos, who raps under the handle Nation, apparently either wasn't
aware or didn't care that he was no longer allowed to possess firearms when he brandished
two of them while filming a music video in January 2016.
Burgos was arrested later in the day in possession of a semi-automatic pistol, at which point
he was charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of distribution
of a controlled substance.
The latter of the charges stemmed from a 2015 arrest.
While this did not necessarily add to his specific legal troubles, prosecutors were
quick to point out that in the video, Burgos rapped about selling drugs, committing violence,
and disrespecting law enforcement.
The Associated Press also reported that Burgos was a member of a violent Chicago-based gang
known as the Conservative Vice Lords, which perhaps figured into the judge's decision
to hand down the harsh term of 188 months in prison.
California rapper Billy "Wild Bill" Shaffer Jr. lived up to his rap handle when he shot
and killed Connie M. Sowels III outside of an Oakland nightclub on October 1, 2014.
According to the East Bay Times, Shaffer claimed he was acting in self-defense during a scuffle
between himself and Sowels over a gold chain.
The jury believed Shaffer and acquitted him on the charges of first-degree murder, second-degree
murder, and voluntary manslaughter.
However, he was convicted on the remaining charges of involuntary manslaughter, using
a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
For these charges, Shaffer was sentenced to 13 years behind bars.
The rapper reportedly cried tears of joy over the court's decision.
Texas-based rapper Tavores "Killah Dre" Henderson was arrested in December 2019 on a capital
murder charge relating to the death of Houston-area Sgt.
Kaila Sullivan.
Sullivan, a mother and 15-year veteran of the force, pulled over Henderson for a traffic
stop violation the night of the killing.
According to NBC News, when Sullivan discovered Henderson had an outstanding warrant involving
assault, she and another officer attempted to handcuff him, at which point the rapper
escaped.
After taking off in his car, Henderson allegedly hit Sullivan with the vehicle.
She later died at the hospital as a result of her injuries.
"Sergeant Sullivan, Kaila, was an outgoing…
individual.
She was a leader in this department."
As of July 2023, Henderson has yet to be convicted of the crime but the outlook doesn't look
good, especially since he supposedly confessed to the murder.
On May 9, 2022, everything changed for Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery
Williams.
That's the day the Fulton County Sheriff's Office arrested him in Atlanta along with
27 others.
Authorities say that Williams is one of the founders of a street gang called Young Slime
Life that's been wreaking criminal havoc since 2012.
Williams was hit with eight out of the 65 charges against Young Slime Life, which include
murder, weapons and drug distribution, as well as violating the Racketeer Influenced
and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Williams' trial began in January 2023 after his bond was denied more than once.
His lyrics will be used against him during the trial as well, according to TMZ.
As of July 2023, however, jury selection for the trial was still underway, according to
Atlanta News First.
Things seemed to be looking up for Brooklyn rapper Dusty Locane after his "Rollin N Controllin
Freestyle" became an online hit.
In November 2022, however, he told his Instagram followers in a since deleted post that he'd
be turning himself into the police.
Locane pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal possession of a weapon.
The charges were related to incidents that occurred in 2019 and 2020.
Billboard reports that Locane is supposed to get out in one to three years.
But since announcing that he was heading to prison, Locane has kept busy — he's released
two new EPs: "Catch Da Flu" and "-95 Degrees."
Just like Young Thug, Casanova's latest legal troubles began after a gang sweep.
The Brooklyn rapper, born Caswell Senior, turned himself into the NYPD on December 2,
2020, days after he was named in an indictment.
According to AllHipHop, police had also said they were looking for him at one point.
Besides Senior, 17 others were arrested, and it's said they were all part of Untouchable
Gorilla Stone Nation, an offshoot of the infamous Bloods street gang.
Casanova was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy
to distribute controlled substances.
He also had a weapons charge tacked on.
On May 11, 2022, Casanova pleaded guilty to two counts of narcotics conspiracy and two
counts of racketeering conspiracy.
On June 27, 2023 he was sentenced to 188 months in prison by a New York Judge.
Dion "42 Dugg" Hayes was arrested on May 4, 2022 in his hometown of Detroit after failing
to turn himself into a West Virginia federal prison camp almost one month prior.
According to HipHopDX, in 2019, the rapper had been caught by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shooting a gun at a firing range in Atlanta.
At the time of the gun range incident, Hayes had been on probation for carjacking and weapons
charges.
In March 2023, Hayes pleaded guilty to prison evasion.
As for why he failed to turn himself in, his lawyer said they filed an appeal about violating
his probation at the gun range.
On April 26, 2023, the rapper was sentenced to one year behind bars.
On April 14, 2022, Bankroll Freddie, whose real name is Freddie Gladney III, was arrested
in his home state of Arkansas after police pulled him over for speeding.
That's because they found 171 grams of promethazine, 21 pounds of marijuana, and a firearm, according
to the New York Post.
But that wasn't the only arrest for Bankroll in 2022.
Later that year, he was busted by the feds as part of a 61-count indictment that involved
34 others.
According to Billboard, Bankroll and his co-defendants were involved in selling large amounts of
marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and other narcotics in 2021 and 2022.
The rapper was also found with various firearms, including multiple machine guns.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in March of 2023 that Bankroll worked with family
members in the alleged drug operation, which included his father, Freddie Gladney Jr.,
as well as his brothers and sister.
Corey "C-Murder" Miller seemed to be on top of the world at one point, seeing as he was
an internationally known rapper under the successful label No Limit Records.
But in 2002, Corey was allegedly involved in an altercation at Louisiana's Platinum
Club.
It was there that a 16-year-old named Steve Thomas was shot and killed.
Two witnesses said they saw Corey fire a gun at Thomas while he was on the ground, according
to The Times-Picayune.
Corey was then convicted of second-degree murder in a retrial that took place in August
2009 and received a life sentence.
All along, the "Trapped in Crime" rapper has denied being the shooter.
He also complained about inhumane treatment at Louisiana's Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
in a 2023 Instagram post and announced a hunger strike.
But as Nola.com reported in 2018, the two witnesses who testified, Kenneth Jordan and
Darnell Jordan, recanted their testimony.
Both of them said they felt pressure from prosecutors and police to lie about what they
saw.
Corey called for a new trial but the judge denied it, calling the recanted testimony
"suspect."
"I'm not going to lie these last 16 years has been a struggle."
Corey has also received a lot of supporters during his prison stay, since many believe
he's gotten a raw deal.
Kim Kardashian is one of those people.
In 2020, the reality star promised to help get his conviction overturned in a series
of tweets.
"At the end of the day we want his name to be vindicated."
The charges?
Gun possession and witness tampering.
The sentence?
Fourteen years in federal prison.
We're talking about New Orleans rapper B.G., born Christopher Dorsey.
He grew to fame as one-fourth of the Hot Boys, which also included Lil Wayne, which was signed
to Cash Money Records.
In 2009, Dorsey and two other men named Jerod Fedison and Demounde Pollard were pulled over
by police in a stolen rental car.
Three guns and magazines were found, and everybody was arrested.
Pollard said the guns were his, but it was later said that Dorsey put him up to making
a phony confession.
Pollard and Fedison eventually pleaded guilty.
Dorsey was also found guilty, hence the 14-year prison sentence.
He's being held in California's FCI Herlong prison, and is expected to be released on
April 7, 2024.
Florida rapper YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, was accused of murdering
his two friends and bandmates in 2018.
The victims were Christopher Thomas Jr., stage name YNW Juvy, and Anthony Williams, stage
name YNW Sakchaser.
In 2019, The Florida Times-Union reported that Demons said they had all been victims
of a drive-by shooting.
But police said forensic evidence proved otherwise, and that Demons killed his friends while another
man, Cortlen Henry, who raps as YNW Bortlen, helped.
For his part, Henry was arrested after being extradited to Florida from Houston.
However, he was released on bond in May 2020.
And Demons?
He turned himself into the police after posting a message on Instagram.
Demons wrote in the caption of his post:
"I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want[s] to find justice.
[...] Unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with
me and my brother."
He was then charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as was Cortlen.
Jury selection began for Demons' trial in April 2023 after a few delays.
His trial began on June 12, 2023.
"For me, like, being locked up is just like a thinking box."
In 2001, Trevell Coleman, better known by his rap name G. Dep, was living the rap dream.
He was signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records and had a popular single titled "Special
Delivery."
But all along, Coleman was hiding something.
He committed a murder in his hometown of New York City at 18 years old, years before becoming
famous.
As the rapper told ABC News in 2013, he approached a man named John Henkel with plans to mug
him.
But Henkel allegedly grabbed the weapon so Coleman opened fire.
By 2010, the secret was too much for Coleman to keep, so he walked into a New York City
police station and confessed.
The first time police didn't believe him.
After he went back a second time, however, they did believe him.
In the end, the Harlem rapper was sentenced to 15 years after being convicted of second-degree
murder.
In an interview with ABC News, Coleman had this to say about why he turned himself in:
"Lot of the burden is lifted.
You know, I see that that is what I needed to do."
Seventy-five years.
That's the prison sentence that came down on New York City rapper Max B, who was born
Charly Wingate, in 2009.
As HipHopDX reports, Wingate and his stepbrother Kelvin Leerdam were accused of trying to rob
Allan Plowden and David Taylor at a Holiday Inn in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Something went wrong during the robbery, though, and Taylor was fatally shot.
Later, Leerdam, who was accused of pulling the trigger, was sentenced to life plus 35
years.
Then in 2016, rapper Wiz Khalifa, who's often talked about being a big fan of Wingate's
music, tweeted that Wingate was getting an early release.
Wingate's publicist later confirmed this.
Reportedly, Wingate struck a plea deal on an aggravated manslaughter charge, so the
first-degree murder and the rest of the charges are supposed to be dropped.
According to a May 2023 article by HipHopDX, Wingate is expected to be released sometime
in 2023.