New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is calling for reform of the criminal justice system after visiting rapper Meek Mill in a Pennsylvania prison. Kraft and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin visited the Philadelphia-born rapper on Tuesday.
After the visit, Kraft said Mill’s incarceration makes it clear that “we have to do something with criminal justice reform.” Rubin said he believes “the right thing will happen” and Mill will be released soon.
Mill, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, is fighting for release while appealing a two- to four-year sentence for a probation violation.
A judge said his drug use, arrests and other issues while under supervision merited the jail time. Mill’s lawyers have accused her of turning the case into a “personal vendetta.” Billboard spoke with billionaire Rubin in December after the 76ers co-owner visited Mill, at which point he revealed that he hoped his friend would be home by Christmas.
On Monday (April 9), Meek ventured back into this 2017 album Wins and Losses to liberate his latest visual, for “1942 Flows.” It features the rapper walking out of prison and encountering a scrum of reporters anxious to talk to him about his release from incarceration. When asked about finally being freed from prison, Meek candidly responds by saying, “I feel like a free slave, you know? I feel like I’ve been targeted by certain people. Just being out on the streets and knowing somebody can take your freedom at any time; you got cops, you see they charged me up on felonies. They seen me riding a bike, that kind of says it all.”
In between scenes, clips portray avid Meek Mill supporters rallying in hopes of trying to bring the embattled MC home. From kids donning hoodies that read “Free Meek Mill” to signs that say “#Justice4Meek,” the love for the Philly rapper runs deep throughout the video. Last week, Judge Genece Brinkley denied Meek’s bail request. Days after that, the Philadelphia district attorney backed the rapper’s request to be released on bail and submitted a motion to the Supreme Court.