Respect Authority

In the world of rap, where a criminal history is the closest thing to a job requirement, it takes a unique artist to pull away from the traditional club shootings and drug deals. Cue Lil Wayne: Although the Grammy award winner was busted in 2007 for what might be considered the most predictable of rapper follies—an unregistered gun and the undeniable billowing of marijuana smoke from his tour bus—he broke the mold this week by pleading guilty to second-degree weapons possession and agreeing to spend a year in jail.

The choice was arguably a smart one: had he gone to trial, Wayne was likely to face upwards of three years in prison, depending on whether the court accepted a controversial DNA profiling technique that involves identifying suspects based on something like a dozen human cells. But considering the debate surrounding low copy number DNA profiling, he also had a chance of winning the case altogether—critics say the results of such testing are too problematic to be trusted.

Take note, rappers: There are lessons to be learned here. For one, manage to proceed through an entire court case without acting like a stereotype, and you’ll be given serious accolades in the mainstream press. Every article I’ve read about this mentions Wayne’s somber attitude during the proceeding, and courteous, if not reluctant, plea. As though making rap music precludes one from knowing to say “sir” when speaking to a judge. I mean, the man was wearing a fucking scarf; I think it’s pretty clear intimidation was not on his to-do list.

Lesson No. 2: Your fans don’t care if you go to prison. In fact, they support it! In interviews with New York area Wayne fans, the Daily News got more than one person on the record saying they suspected a jail stint would do little to derail Wayne’s career; in fact, it should help him! “This is just one more thing for [him] to rap about and say that [he] overcame,” said St. John’s student Amy Braden, 20.

I suppose there is some sort of “Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” motto to take away from this, and I have no doubt that Wayne will use his time in the clink as inspiration for future songs. Since he hasn’t released anything since Tha Carter III, I can’t even say I mind the idea of Wayne spending a solid 12 months focusing. Further, I’m sure he’ll be nothing short of a God at Rikers Island, where it’s anticipated he’ll serve his sentence.

All of that said though, I think that year in prison will probably, well,  suck. Although much of rap is focused on poverty, drug dealing and hardship, it’s focused on either overcoming or excelling at those things—not getting caught and spending time in jail to reflect on them. Further, the Lil Waynes and Jay-Zs of the world have long since switched their lyrical focus to things like champagne, women, cars and being the best rapper alive. Somehow I find it hard to believe Wayne is looking at his sentence as an opportunity to develop new material, any more than Jay-Z still sells drugs or 50 Cent still magnetically attracts bullets.

I am reminded of a recent 30 Rock episode where Tracy Morgan’s character (who is, for the record, Tracy Morgan) realized he had lost touch with “real people” by virtue of becoming a celebrity. Coming up from underneath is helpful, if not required, in hip hop (why Kanye has never managed to come off as much more than a rapping pop star) but going down from above? Not so much.