The
NYPD
patrol that has been keeping tabs on Hip-Hopartists since a shootout took place in Manhattan near the
Hot 97 offices. According to the New York Post, on the weekend
members of the NYPD gang division keep an eye on 14 clubs-Cheetah,
Club Speed, Ivy and Chaos among them – in case of "trouble."
The Intelligence Division is compiling a book, "Crime
Trends in the Rap Music Industry," which so far has information
on more than 40 rappers, including their names, nicknames
and photos. The book also states what kind of vehicle each
rapper drives, what record label the artist is on and what
club they prefer to attend. The book also lists the type of
vehicle each star drives, what record label each belongs to
and which clubs they favor.
"This all
started after two of these groups fired over 20 shots at each
other in broad daylight in the Village," one source said
of the rap operation. "Luckily, no one was seriously
injured, especially bystanders."
"We are
not profiling rappers," Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik
said. "We go after criminals, people with guns, people
who commit crimes. Some rappers are involved in criminal activity,
and we will be looking at them."
The idea behind
the rap project is "equivalent to how we look at other
groups like the Mafia and gangs like the Bloods or Latin Kings,"
one detective told the Post. "We’re trying to compile
as much information as we can on them. "Believe it or
not, it’s also for the protection of some of the rappers,
because a lot of times they are victims of robberies."
Jay-Z’s lawyer
Murray Richman said: “These are cases of racial profiling
brought on by notoriety. These guys are getting hassled because
of who they are and not because of what they’ve done."
