Finally, the respect he deserves. Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill has been honoured by his hometown with an entire weekend dedicated to his name.
From hereon until forever, March 14th is “Meek Mill Day”, whilst March 15th-17th will be “Meek Mill Weekend.” On Thursday, the city and state officials honoured Meek Mill—born Robert Rihmeek Williams— at City Hall. Mill is being celebrated for both his contributions to hip-hop and for his work as a criminal justice reform advocate.
“This is a callout to give people who actually come up under different circumstances a fair shot in America and that’s the people I want to speak for,” Mill shared while accepting the award. “You do wrong, you get wronged, but I think in this life, you deserve right if you’re living the right way and you deserve a fair shot.”
Watch: Meek Mill Honored at Philadelphia City Hall
Mill became a pioneer for criminal justice reform after he was sentenced to two to four years in prison for a minor probation violation. The violation was related to a decade-old gun and drug possession charge.
Mill was granted “extraordinary relief” and released from prison in April 2018. Mill served five-months behind bars before the court acknowledged that the arresting officer in his case had lied under oath during the original trial.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
Mill’s arrest prompted a nationwide debate over the criminal justice system and its unjust treatment of black men. After he was released from prison, Mill and Jay-Z launched a criminal justice reform organization, The Reform Alliance.
The performer said the Reform initiative “is one of the most important things I’ve ever done in my life” and that he is advocating for “for people who don’t have a voice.”
“If you thought my case was unfair, there are millions of others dealing with worse situations and caught up in the system without committing crimes. With this alliance, we want to change outdated laws, give people hope and reform a system that’s stacked against us.”
