NYPD Is Targeting Rappers

The NYPD patrol that has been keeping tabs on Hip-Hop artists 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 […]

The

NYPD

patrol that has been keeping tabs on Hip-Hop

artists 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."