When Meek Mill was released from lockup, he told us that he had some fire music on the horizon. But his life at this point, wasnt just about music. Now, he is showing it.
billboard on Twitter
Meek Mill & Pennsylvania Gov. urge criminal justice reforms https://t.co/ufPqyIudgM
We are seeing Mill taking the next steps of elevation. Hes being very vocal and accessible since coming home, using his celebrity to lead the fight for criminal justice reform.
Hes keeping some new company as well and raising his social profile. Meek was spotted at the Sixers Game 2 Eastern Conference playoff game against the Boston Celtics chopping it up with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who visited him when he was locked up and fighting to get released, and rapper Gucci Mane.
Bleacher Report on Twitter
What’s going on here.
Social Media got a huge kick out of the eclectic combination. It took a lot of folks by surprise that an NFL owner who represents one of the more right wing affiliated NFL clubs would be seen so comfortably fraternizing with rappers and all of the stereotypical nonsense that comes with them.
But seeing those guys together is exactly what I was referring to when Mill was released and I wrote the piece, Meek Mill: What Will He Do With His Newfound Power?
The young rap Don is at a crossroads. When he stepped into Wells Fargo Arena to a standing ovation and banged on that ceremonial bell three times, it signaled the beginning of a new, transformative period in his life. Will he use his newfound power to uplift the masses? Or is he indebted to another side that helped him out of a situation and is now forced to support those who still suppress his people?
Mill might have entered those steel gates as a young man, but he returns as a hero and an iconic symbol of all that is right and wrong in America. A victim of crooked cops and overzealous judges with no remorse when it comes to incarcerating men of color, but at the same time Mill is living proof of what people of all ethnicities can accomplish when they share a common goal and just do what’s right.
Besides expanding his immediate circle to include influential and supportive white NFL and NBA owners (we cant forget it was 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin who went to Chester State prison and personally picked up Meek in a private jet), Mill has already immersed his celebrity in a greater cause and is pushing the boundaries of whats possible.
J.A. Adande on Twitter
Gucci Mane and Meek Mill, along with Robert Kraft” is not a sentence I woud have expected before 2018
Ebro from Hot 97s Ebro In The Morning show put it best when he said, We are living in a very interesting time. Look man, Twitters not safe. Hawaiis got a volcano going on and Meek Mill is leading the conversation for criminal justice reform. Whoa!!”
In addition to Mills new social priorities, Jay-Z and Amazon are teaming up for a six-part docu-series about the Philly icon’s journey. The project is set to be released in 2019. It chronicles Mills recent ordeal with the Pennsylvania criminal justice system and is sure to hit home with people of all races.
Mill is also shedding the mask of rap stardom and speaking candidly about the vices he has had to deal with in his life. He spoke about his past opioid addiction during a press conference held in Philadelphia and how the understanding of his probation officer got him the help he needed rather than more time in jail for failing a drug test.
TicToc by Bloomberg on Twitter
@MeekMill is calling for criminal justice reform in Pennsylvania to “speak for the voiceless” https://t.co/ffHk1GBpI1
Meek Mill: I feel that everything happens for a reason. What I went through is terrible and I think it’s a path that God put me on for a better time like right now because its still surreal to me to even be in a situation where you have people like Governor (Thomas) Wolf actually talking about criminal justice reform.
At one point in my life I was actually addicted to opiods and I think it should be a line drawn… where you shouldn’t be scared to tell your probation officer that you have a drug problem because you don’t want to be sent to prison for years.”
Meek went on to thank his probation officer at the time.
I had a drug problem years ago and I told her I had a drug problem and she asked me if I needed help and she put me in a rehabilitation program and it changed my life.
Ebro and his co-host Peter Rosenberg lauded Meek for speaking with a clear mind and purpose
His energy seems to be in the right place. We could be witnessing the evolution of a social justice warrior in hip-hop. Im anxious to hear the messages that he will share in his future musical endeavors.
