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Maybe Criminal Court Should Build a Music Studio
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Through some strange stroke of Manhattan Supreme Court scheduling, Ja Rule, Remy Ma, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes all appeared in court yesterday (at different times) to face various charges. Ja Rule and Lil Wayne faced gun possession charges from separate incidents on July 22. The pair, who collaborated on a song "Uh Oh," also shared the same attorney, Stacey Richman. Richman said that Lil Wayne couldn't be guilty, because when his tour bus was pulled over, "[Wayne] was in the bus in his boxer shorts with a number of other people. Unless his boxer shorts had a pocket for this gun, I don't understand how he had it on him."
Busta Rhymes was facing a number of charges, including DUI, driving with a suspended license and assault. His case was adjourned until January 23, and he smiled as he left the court (even signing the courtroom artist's sketch). And Remy Ma was facing charges that she shot a friend she suspected stole from her; her next court date is scheduled for December. Unlike the other rappers, she did not arrive in an Escalade - because it had been impounded after the shooting! The Village Voice cover girl said that it was a "coincidence" that her fellow musicians were in court and noted that she'd done songs with all of them expect Ja Rule, "I know all of them. They're all my friends."
Baruch College professor of music and anthropology Kyra Gaunt said of the rappers' appearances, "Because the [rap] genre plays with reality, a lot of people get lost. All of a sudden, the line between representation of reality and reality is no longer separate." And the Daily News' Michael Daly called it "Gangsta Day" and said that Remy Ma seemed the toughest out of all the rappers there.
Photographs of Ja Rule, Remy Ma and Busta Rhymes at Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday by Gary He/AP
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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