REMY MA sentenced to 8 years in prison : Exclusive : Papoose

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(BlackPressMagazine.com) - Just a couple of hours ago, Hip Hop veteran Remy Smith, 36, who craved a place in the music industry history books performing under the moniker "Remy Ma" was sentenced to eight year in prison after being convicted of a crime involving a shooting outside a New York nightclub last summer. The rapper could have been sentenced to 25 years in prison. During the hearing, Remy Ma's fiance rapper Papoose angered the judge with his reactions.

According to correction officials, the weekend wedding of the two rapper that was scheduled for Rikers Island jail was canceled after the groom alleged was found with a handcuff key. After Ivan Fisher, Remy Ma's lawyer convinced the authorities that the key was not able to unlock handcuffs, the police did not charge Papoose.

Remy is one of several Black female rappers who have found themselves on the wrong end of the law. Recently fellow rap diva Foxy Brown and Lil Kim served jail time for incidents related to violence.

Critics point out that many men in the hip hop industry don't get the harsh treatment that the Black women in hip hop receive. Some point to the trial of hip hop star R. Kelly who was indicted in 2002 for child pornography and taping sex acts with a then-13-year-old girl. Kelly has produced several hit CDs, toured numerous times and more during the time that it took for him to be brought to trial.

During an exclusive podcast interview, Janaya Black author of The Breaking Point and Beautiful Rage, discusses the growing trend of Black women being incarcerated. Black is the author of a series of books on Black women who have been jailed.

"To some Black women, going to jail is like a badge of honor," said Black. "The statistics are showing tremendous growth," she said.

According to the Department of Corrections, African American women have an incarceration rate of 358 per 100,000. The rate for white women was 94 per 100,000 and for Hispanic women 152 per 100,000. (1).

'For the year 1999, 1 in 109 women were under correctional supervision. (6) In 1997, African American women had an incarceration rate of 200 per 100,000 compared to 25 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic white women," according to author Paula C. Johnson author of Inner Livers: Voices of African American Women in Prison.

To hear the interview with Black visit http://www.blackpressradio.com.

Keywords: black, drahma, hip, hop, Island, janaya, kelly, Ma, Paposse, press, prison, r., Remy, Rikers, violence, weekly