Toronto-born rapper Drake is the latest celeb to address Philly rapper Meek’s Mill recent re-imprisonment on probation violations.
“Free Meek Mill – that’s right,” Drake said at a concert in Australia Sunday – the first positive thing Drake has been known to say about Meek since the pair battled on Twitter in 201x.
The shout-out came as Meek’s supporters are claiming victory in the rapper’s case, with his move into the general population at the state correctional institute in Chester to serve out the rest of his two-to-four year sentence being reported by TMZ as a release from “solitary confinement.” They said he was being kept alone for 23 hours a day, seven days a week.
But the state Department of Corrections (DOC) says that story, which went viral across hip hop and celebrity news sites, is false. A spokeswoman said via email that “protective custody” is for high-profile inmates, while “disciplinary custody,” a.k.a. solitary confinement, is for inmates exhibiting “poor behavior.”
“Meek Mill was neither. He was simply placed in a single cell, which is not unusual, while undergoing diagnostic testing at Camp Hill,” the spokeswoman said via email. “He is now in general population at SCI Chester and housed in the ‘honor’ unit, which is home to Chester’s dog training program.”
Either way, the celeb-news gossip site is celebrating the move as a positive one for the rap star, who has been a subject of national news since he was jailed in early November.
“We’re told Meek believes he’ll do fine in G.P. because he’s well respected on the streets and has given back a lot since he’s become a celeb,” TMZ wrote, before noting:
Meek can now hit up the yard in the morning or afternoon. He can ball out on the court or go for a jog. Should he fancy himself with a book, he can read it at the on-site library or in his cell. Gym time will depend on which job he ends up taking … which, by the way, pays 19 cents an hour. He’ll be assigned a job and has two choices — cleaning cells or cooking.
Meanwhile, Drake’s shout-out appears to have settled a major beef from Meek’s past.
The two feuded in 2015 after Meek reacted harshly to being compared to Drake.
“Stop comparing drake to me too…. He don’t write his own raps! That’s why he ain’t tweet my album because we found out!” he tweeted.
The ensuing Twitter war even involved Toronto city councilor Norm Kelly, and Drake mined it for memes mocking Meek that he displayed during later concerts.
See Drake change his tune on Meek below.
Drake says “FREE MEEK MILL” while in Australia pic.twitter.com/FEwBPrEbGr
— DJ Akademiks (@IamAkademiks) November 19, 2017
Meek’s attorneys are seeking reconsideration of his 2-to-4 year sentence. Jay-Z recently wrote an op-ed in support of Meek’s case. The rapper was re-imprisoned on violations of probation from a 2008 gun possession case.
