Meek Mill Says 'I Ain't Free' Despite Prison Release
Rapper Meek Mill has been released from prison, but he still believes that he is far from being free.
The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, has been out on bail since Tuesday, April 24. He spoke with NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt shortly after his release for a soon-to-be-aired "Dateline" NBC special, where he revealed his thoughts about being out of jail.
According to the "All Eyes on You" rapper, he still has not slept a bit since his release. He also said that he still does not feel free even if he is already outside his prison cell after being sentenced in November to spend two to four years behind bars for violating his probation on his drug and gun charges conviction.
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"I ain't feel free since I caught this case at the age of 19. I'm 30 now. And me, I pray. I believe God is my first lawyer, I always believed that. And, you know, I got a strong team behind me, I got a lot of support. There's a lot of light shedded on my situation," he said, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Mill was allowed to post bail and temporarily get out of jail by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after the Philadelphia district attorney's office petitioned Judge Genece Brinkley for his release after some of his arresting officers were included in the list of officers who were accused of framing witnesses and lied under oath.
Instead of completely dropping the case, Judge Brinkley declined and scheduled a hearing in June to determine whether the initial charges against the rapper will be dropped or if a new trial will be ordered.
However, based on a report from NBC News, Brinkley's decision to let Mill go could influence other cases according to Philadelphia public defender Bradley Bridge. He has seen a lot of cases reinvestigated due to alleged tainted police work.
Before Mill's release, a judge decided to throw out the convictions of three other men that Bridge represented. They were also arrested by Reginald Graham, one of the arresting officers who was involved in the rapper's case.
Bridge also said that Mill should have never gone to prison in the first place.
Meanwhile, the rapper also knows that he can use his situation to help others in the same position since he is a public figure.
"Being in this position, I've got a lot of responsibility, I've got a lot of important people depending on me," he also stated in the interview. "And [I'm] not talking about them people, the public officials. I'm talking about the men that's depending on me that's going through the same thing I'm going through. This is an important moment," Mill added.
Just a few hours after his release, the rapper has been spotted at the Wells Fargo Center to watch the Philadelphia 76ers win the playoff series against the Miami Heat during the heart-stopping Game 5. He was also asked to ring the ceremonial Liberty Bell before the game's tipoff.
The rapper was also seen hanging out with the 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin and comedian Kevin Hart.
