JAY-Z — Roc Nation label boss and one of Meek Mill’s most outspoken supporters — has issued a statement on Meek’s prison release. After five months in Chester State Prison, Meek walked free on Tuesday (April 24).
“Today, Meek Mill, a son of Philadelphia, is a free man,” Hov said in a statement sent to HipHopDX. “He was incarcerated unjustly and caught in a probation trap for years by a broken system. Now we can celebrate his release.We thank every individual that has supported and fought alongside Meek every step of the way.”
Roc Nation issued a statement of its own, which read: “We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Meek Mill bail and allow him to return home to his loved ones. We are grateful for all the support that Meek has received from his fans and public advocates over the past five months and look forward to working alongside Meek to fight for criminal justice reform.”
Meek was sentenced to two to four years in prison for a probation violation stemming from a 2009 gun possession charge. Judge Genece Brinkley, who’s been overseeing his case since the beginning, was highly criticized for her handling of the high profile case.
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After Brinkley ruled Meek would stay in prison until his next appeal hearing, the PA Supreme Court thought otherwise and granted his bail Tuesday morning.
Shortly after Meek’s November arrest, JAY penned an eloquent op-ed for the New York Times addressing the Philly-bred rapper’s case and has been calling for his release ever since.
Now, they indeed have something to celebrate.[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
(The original version of this article was published on April 24, 2018 at 1:20 p.m. PST and can be found below.)
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Meek Mill’s prison saga is finally coming to an end. According to a press release sent to HipHopDX, the Philadelphia Supreme Court has granted Meek bail, overriding Judge Genece Brinkley’s initial decision to keep him in prison until his next hearing.
The 30-year-old Philly native is expected to walk free from Chester State Prison Tuesday afternoon (April 24) and hitch a ride with Philadelphia 76s co-owner Micheal Grubin.
“We are thrilled that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has directed Judge Brinkley to immediately issue an order releasing Meek on bail,” Meek’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said in the statement. “As we have said all along, Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail.”
Tacopina continued, “We are also pleased that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has noted that Judge Brinkley may opt to remove herself from presiding over any further proceedings in Meek’s case in the interests of justice. Meek is excited to be reunited with his family, and we, along with Meek, intend to continue to shine the light on a justice system in need of reform to prevent any other citizen from being put through what Meek has endured.” [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
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Understandably, Meek is grateful for all the support he’s received since he was sent to prison last November.
“I’d like to thank God, my family, my friends, my attorneys, my team at Roc Nation including JAY-Z, Desiree Perez, my good friend Michael Rubin, my fans, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and all my public advocates for their love, support and encouragement during this difficult time,” Meek said. “While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive. To the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, I’m grateful for your commitment to justice – not only for my case, but for others that have been wrongfully jailed due to police misconduct.”
In terms of the future, Meek laid out some plans for how he’d like to use his experience to help others.
“Although I’m blessed to have the resources to fight this unjust situation, I understand that many people of color across the country don’t have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues,” he said. “In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career.”
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Meek’s publicist told DX the Wins & Losses rapper will likely attend the 76ers game later tonight.
