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Meek Mill was sent back to a Pennsylvania prison for being captured performing a wheelie on an ATV in November. The maneuver set turning the wheels of a criminal justice system that has haunted Mill for over a decade. It also led to massive protests as well as a closer examination of his case. The findings were disturbing. Yet, his struggles and recent release have led to a unique partnership between Jay-Z’s Roc Nation imprint and Amazon, as the streaming giant turns its Sauron-like eye on the emcee.
Mill’s judge, Genece Brinkley, has been accused of multiple instances of impropriety by his attorney Joe Tapocina. They include a bizarre Boyz II Men request and being included in Mill’s music among other things, but they also illuminate the back end of an arcane system meant to keep brown people in its grasp for as long as possible. The streaming behemoth seems to think so, too, calling Mill’s docuseries a look into his “fight for exoneration while exposing flaws in the criminal justice system.”
The opportunity to expose the horrors of “long tail probation” in the fight for meaningful criminal justice reform has not been lost on Mill. “I’m grateful for this unique opportunity to share my story and I look forward to collaborating with Amazon Prime Video, Roc Nation and the Intellectual Property Corporation on this incredible series,” Meek said in a statement. “Not only will this documentary give viewers an unprecedented look at my life, but it will also allow me to use my public platform to highlight the need for criminal justice reform.”
Jay-Z has done this before. His recent look at how unfair imprisonment led to the suicide of Kalief Browder recently won an Emmy. He’s also producing a series on the life of Trayvon Martin. Jigga also penned this in an op-ed for the New York Times in regards to Mill, “For about a decade, he’s been stalked by a system that considers the slightest infraction a justification for locking him back inside,” he opined. “What’s happening to Meek Mill is just one example of how our criminal justice system entraps and harasses hundreds of thousands of black people every day.”
The docuseries is currently untitled and set to be released sometime in 2019.
