UPDATE, 7:54 p.m.: Meek is in the building. (The building being the Wells Fargo Center.)
????????????????????????????????????????????@MeekMill arrives at @sixers game
Meek told me “I feel great”#MeekMill#PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/nMEEy0AX0P
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 24, 2018
Meek Mill was freed from prison Tuesday following an order by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
I’d like to thank God, my family, 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.
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) April 24, 2018
The Philadelphia rapper is planning on attending Tuesday’s 76ers game against the Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. 76ers owner Michael Rubin will even pick Meek up from prison himself.
Just spoke to Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin. He said it’s “more likely than not” Meek Mill will attend Game 5 tonight, and he’ll ring the ceremonial bell pre-game if he can get there in time.
— Daniel Victor (@bydanielvictor) April 24, 2018
Meek’s release from prison was immediately celebrated by his fanbase, which happens to include the entire population of Philadelphia.
76ers center Joel Embiid was allegedly dancing in his bed when he received the news. The Philadelphia Eagles tweeted out a video showing the Super Bowl champs coming onto the field to Meek’s opus, “Dreams and Nightmares,” in celebration.
Michael Rubin, Sixers co-owner, said Joel Embiid called him and was “going crazy, dancing in bed” at the Meek Mill news.
— Daniel Victor (@bydanielvictor) April 24, 2018
Hold up, wait a minute. pic.twitter.com/qYsk9RsCgg
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 24, 2018
But the news is more than just a success for those who enjoy rappers that sound like they’re yelling their lines into the microphone from several feet away. #FreeMeek was a different rallying call than #FreeBobbyShmurda and #FreeTayK are.
Once best known for being on the receiving end of a Drake diss track, Meek has recently become a prominent figure in the fight for prison reform.
In November, Meek was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating parole on a 2008 gun and drug case. The cop who arrested Meek in 2007 was reported to be on a list the District Attorney’s office kept of police officers suspected of falsifying evidence and lying in court.
It was later reported the judge who sentenced Meek to years in prison was being investigated by the FBI for extortion-relayed charges. The judge told the rapper to leave Roc Nation and join her friend’s record label and said the rapper should do a remake of a Boyz II Men song and give her a shout-out on it. She clarified she wasn’t kidding.
To many, Meek’s situation wasn’t unique, but is emblematic of a larger problem with American society. Meek was first arrested when he was 19, and as fellow rapper Jay-Z noted in his op-ed for the New York Times, he’s been on probation for nearly all his adult life.
Meek was arrested in St. Louis in March 2017, but all charges were dropped. Despite this, he was still sent to jail. As Jay-Z and others argue, Meek is just another black man who poses no threat to society but is kept in jail at taxpayers’ expense.
Many other public figures — everyone from rapper Rick Ross to Patriots owner Robert Kraft — came to Meek’s aid, saying he was being imprisoned unjustly.
Is the rapper’s legal battle finally over? Will Meek be at Tuesday’s game? How long will it take for Meek to release a “First Day Out” remix? These are questions we will have to wait to see.
But, for now — #MeekFree.
