When Keepin' It Real Goes Right

"Police have raided an apartment leased to rapper Jadakiss and seized 5 grams of heroin, 6.5 pounds of marijuana and $40,000 cash from the Yonkers New York residence, say published reports."-Allhiphop.com (8/25)

A man's gotta do, am I right? For the sake of conversation, because I don't really know, let's say that all that dope & money was indeed Jason Phillips'. From my minimal knowledge of street life, it sure as hell looks like dude is selling drugs to me. Perhaps if Heroin wasn't in the mix, it could be perceived as something more trivial. Now, all those clever lines he pens about bricks & stacks come across with a bit more believability. Not that that's a good thing; if I think that, God only knows what the Federali's are making of it.

Take into account that his label/group/business venture D-Block Records has been operating for years without much publicized success. Critical acclaim, maybe, but we all know that's just a tactful way to say "not really too successful". Even without much apparent revenue, they have their own recording home, stable of artists with needs, a car wash *wink-wink*, & continue to stay active in a business that thrives on the exchange of currency at a fairly rapid rate. & it's not like Def Jam is handing out millions of monies for artist's that can't crack 300,000 copies sold. No shots, though.

Could it be that this is all a front for drug dealing?

I'm sure most rappers lie about their lifestyles, but how many of those guys get busted with such a healthy amount of illegal product? The money itself isn't against the law, but it sure makes all those drugs look that much more interesting. It's one thing to make up stories, & claim to be involved in high level dealings on wax, but to have it plastered across newspapers kind of makes it official. Imagine how quickly 50 Cent would've back off of Rick Ross had he been pulled over with kilo's of Cocaine in the trunk of his $200,000 car.

If nothing else, Jada's street cred just skyrocketed. & he can thank his two dumb-ass friends/weed [& Heroin] holders ( who caught the cops' attention, subsequently leading them to the apartment) for that.

If we've learned anything about the Hip Hop police, it's that they lay in wait for opportunities like this. Prepare for a full-fledged investigation to be launched on D-Block Records, & anyone affiliated. & I wouldn't be surprised if that became a trend, a la Murder Inc., with other not-so-well-to-do labels become targets of FBI stings & impromptu tax audits. Between Death Row/G-Unit/Murder Inc, the last 10 or so years have kept the Hip Hop cops pretty busy turning over rocks & digging in niggas' backgrounds. It's not like they're out trying to find who killed Big L, Biggie, 'Pac, Souljah Slim or Mac Dre, so this would be right up their alleys.

Take Clipse, whose music is Crack Rap without apology. Their manager was arrested behind drug activity, & even then they were only guilty by association. So far, at least. It's not like they found dope ON them, per se. & according to the consensus, them cats been telling on themselves for about 3 albums now. But, this 'Kiss scenario takes "keepin' it real" to a next plateau, again, assuming all those things belonged to J-a-d-a in some way or another.

Hopefully, Jada didn't play a part in this situation, although it's not looking good. Shit rolls downhill; from his two jumpy buddies, to 'Kiss himself, to the whole D-Block organization. Not that he'd be throwing away a phenomenal rap career, but it would suck to be him right now. & If he's not guilty of assisting/contributing to the distribution of illegal substances, then he's damn sure guilty of keeping the wrong cats around him. But, that's a post for another day.

One has to wonder where Sheek Louch & Styles P stand in all of this. Say the two schmoes who started this fiasco decide to start singing the blues for the sake of lesser convictions. That would put 'Kiss in the precarious "Stop Snitchin'" position, if the rest of LOX are involved. I don't know a lot of cats, if any, who own one Sheek CD. I'm just saying. Styles signed that book deal, but what does that really mean in this computer-driven, "I ain't know nothin' 'bout no readin'" day & age. Word to Kanye West & Lil Wayne.

Dope-dealing is one of the few lifestyles that is as dangerous as it is glamorous, hence the entertainment industry's romantic fascination with it. My uncle succumbed to it's allure, then had 7 1/2 years to think about how he would have made manager at Burger King by now. District manager with the right attitude.

Let's see how this one plays out...