Meek Mill to Be Released From Prison

Meek Mill will be released from prison on bail today, TMZ reports and court documents viewed by Pitchfork confirm. His two-to-four-year sentence for a probation violation stemming from a 2007 drug and weapons charge, handed down by controversial Judge Genece Brinkley, was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania today after a series of appeals from his legal team. The Court of Common Pleas will decide within 60 days whether Meek’s original conviction will be overturned.

In a statement, Meek said:

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.

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. 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. 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.

Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said in a statement:

We are thrilled that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has directed Judge Brinkley to immediately issue an order releasing Meek on bail. As we have said all along, Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail. 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.

In February, Meek’s team filed a petition targeting the credibility of a police officer involved in Mill’s 2007 arrest. On March 14, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed a response to Meek’s petitions, stating “there is a strong showing of likelihood of the Petitioner’s conviction being reversed (in whole or in part).” The D.A. cited testimony from an officer whose prior testimony against corrupt cops resulted in hundreds of conviction reversals.

The petition followed a November request for the recusal of Judge Brinkley, citing bias.

Among other things, Brinkley was accused of summoning Meek and Nicki Minaj, his girlfriend at the time, for a private meeting in her chambers in 2016. Meek claimed that Brinkley asked the two of them to record a cover of Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee” and dedicate it to her. “Fucking Nicki busts out laughing, but I grabbed her leg, going, ‘Yo, this is my life here,’” Meek told Rolling Stone. “I tried to tell the judge, ‘All respect, but that ain’t me. I’m a Philly street rapper, not a bubblegum dude.’ She says, ‘Fine, then,’ in a real sarcastic way. ‘Suit yourself.’”

Public support for Meek has been wide-ranging over the past few months. JAY-Z penned a New York Times op-ed, stating, “Probation is a trap and we must fight for Meek and everyone else unjustly sent to prison.” Public figures like Al Sharpton and Colin Kaepernick spoke out on his behalf, and rallies were held in his name. Meek was even honored during the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

Read “Why Did Meek Mill Go to Prison” on the Pitch.