How Drakeo the Ruler recorded an album from jail(pitchfork.com)
pitchfork.com
How Drakeo the Ruler recorded an album from jail
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-drakeo-the-ruler-recorded-thank-you-for-using-gtl-from-jail-joogszn-interview/
48 comments
I actually served on the jury panel for this case. I would agree that his solitary confinement is excessive and cruel, but that article is incredibly biased. He's still incarcerated because there's a fairly strong case for the two remaining charges he faces .. has nothing to do with a vindictive crusade.
I knew nothing about the case before reading this. Could you post a link that you think better represents the facts?
There aren't any articles I'm aware of that are written neutrally on the case. The media I've seen is either from rap news sites or his defense attorney .. both of which have obvious bias. The public record from the case would probably be the best source.
There seems to be a concerted effort to push the narrative that Drakeo is a victim in all of this. That wasn't true from my perspective (and I think for most of the Jury). The issue we had with the case was that the facts didn't rise to the level that the DA was charging. I can try to shed some light on the other side of the argument that seems to be missing. This is by no means a complete summary .. there were over 46 charges in the case including murder, burglary and witness intimidation.
Drakeo ran what was referred to as the "burn house" for the 2Greedy group. Apartments that were used as a gang house. Notable to the case, these apartments had communal guns that were furnished by the group for anyone to use. Solo confirmed this via testimony. The murder weapon Boyd used was one of these communal guns. There was also video evidence of Drakeo and his brother stealing guns from businesses on separate occasions for communal use (note neither was the murder weapon). The second iteration of this burn house was raided by the police. They recovered around 8 or 9 illegal weapons (including an AK variant). Then there were the group text messages found during discovery. Drakeo sent explicit messages calling on 2Greedy members to bring guns with them and to be ready to use them when they were with him. He called for members to "step up" and be proactive. There were lists of core gang members, the criteria seeming to be who was willing to proactively commit crime.
The night of the murder, there did appear to be a plan to go to a party with the express intent of killing another rapper. This was confirmed by Boyd (shooter #1) in jailcell recordings. Solo, Drakeo and Kellz (shooter #2) were in one of the cars. Boyd had his own car. Cell phone tower records, testimony, and video surveillance all corroborate. The video evidence taken from the parking lot where the murder occurred shows coordination between the group to position themselves strategically near the only exit. In the video, they wait around .. a group from a rival gang of Kellz's walks by .. Kellz and Boyd open fire. The general consensus of the Jury was that this was a case of Drakeo "playing at being a real gangster" without the actual intent to kill. One of the reasons being that they were targeting someone (another rapper) who was very clearly not going to be at the party. Given that the person who was murdered was not the person who was intended to be the target, we couldn't find the intent to kill prong of murder applicable for Drakeo.
The two remaining charges he faces are Gang Conspiracy and Shooting From a Motor Vehicle. Gang Conspiracy because he very clearly contributed to, if not created, the environment in which the murder took place. Shooting From a Motor Vehicle because he was in the car that one of the shooters shot out of. The law is incredibly broad on that second one .. he doesn't actually have to fire the gun.
The DA overreached with the charges, but make no mistake these guys are criminals ..
There seems to be a concerted effort to push the narrative that Drakeo is a victim in all of this. That wasn't true from my perspective (and I think for most of the Jury). The issue we had with the case was that the facts didn't rise to the level that the DA was charging. I can try to shed some light on the other side of the argument that seems to be missing. This is by no means a complete summary .. there were over 46 charges in the case including murder, burglary and witness intimidation.
Drakeo ran what was referred to as the "burn house" for the 2Greedy group. Apartments that were used as a gang house. Notable to the case, these apartments had communal guns that were furnished by the group for anyone to use. Solo confirmed this via testimony. The murder weapon Boyd used was one of these communal guns. There was also video evidence of Drakeo and his brother stealing guns from businesses on separate occasions for communal use (note neither was the murder weapon). The second iteration of this burn house was raided by the police. They recovered around 8 or 9 illegal weapons (including an AK variant). Then there were the group text messages found during discovery. Drakeo sent explicit messages calling on 2Greedy members to bring guns with them and to be ready to use them when they were with him. He called for members to "step up" and be proactive. There were lists of core gang members, the criteria seeming to be who was willing to proactively commit crime.
The night of the murder, there did appear to be a plan to go to a party with the express intent of killing another rapper. This was confirmed by Boyd (shooter #1) in jailcell recordings. Solo, Drakeo and Kellz (shooter #2) were in one of the cars. Boyd had his own car. Cell phone tower records, testimony, and video surveillance all corroborate. The video evidence taken from the parking lot where the murder occurred shows coordination between the group to position themselves strategically near the only exit. In the video, they wait around .. a group from a rival gang of Kellz's walks by .. Kellz and Boyd open fire. The general consensus of the Jury was that this was a case of Drakeo "playing at being a real gangster" without the actual intent to kill. One of the reasons being that they were targeting someone (another rapper) who was very clearly not going to be at the party. Given that the person who was murdered was not the person who was intended to be the target, we couldn't find the intent to kill prong of murder applicable for Drakeo.
The two remaining charges he faces are Gang Conspiracy and Shooting From a Motor Vehicle. Gang Conspiracy because he very clearly contributed to, if not created, the environment in which the murder took place. Shooting From a Motor Vehicle because he was in the car that one of the shooters shot out of. The law is incredibly broad on that second one .. he doesn't actually have to fire the gun.
The DA overreached with the charges, but make no mistake these guys are criminals ..
Why Drakeo The Ruler Is On Trial for The Same Murder Twice
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsEhLikmkPw
> LASD & the DA’s insane crusade against Mr. Mosely
What's insane is sheep shouting "we caught guard dogs doing bad things, we should make it right by letting wolves roam free in the pen!".
What's insane is sheep shouting "we caught guard dogs doing bad things, we should make it right by letting wolves roam free in the pen!".
That is a very black-and-white metaphor. I agree that letting the wolves roam free is a naive and unworkable solution, but something needs to be done about the guard dogs eating the black sheep all the time, and the white sheep who think this is their proper function.
In a similar vein, Vybz Kartel (who's worked with Diplo in the past) has been releasing music from jail since 2011.
https://www.dancehallmag.com/2020/06/25/news/just-how-does-v...
https://www.dancehallmag.com/2020/06/25/news/just-how-does-v...
What's the earliest example of this? I remember being astounded when I heard that "Sacred Love" by Bad Brains was recorded the same way in 1986.
https://dangerousminds.net/comments/sacred_love_the_bad_brai...
https://dangerousminds.net/comments/sacred_love_the_bad_brai...
Drakeo probably got this idea from Mac Dre, an earlier California rapper who also recorded an album from prison. Drakeo talks about Mac Dre in his lyrics and both share some stylistic tendencies like creating their own lingo.
Yeah...I was thinking the same thing. "Romper Room Gang"
Mac Dre got a lot of respect due to his refusal to inform on the others (even though supposedly he had nothing to do with it). Sad story. He died in a car which was shot at after a show. Very ahead of his time musically.
Mac Dre got a lot of respect due to his refusal to inform on the others (even though supposedly he had nothing to do with it). Sad story. He died in a car which was shot at after a show. Very ahead of his time musically.
I mean a lot of this seems to be human creativity... Wasn't so much they were able to record cleanly or clean up the vocals afterwards as applying effects that really distorted his voice but in an enjoyable way.
Wow! Do HN people actually know Drakeo? I never expected to see this here.
Free Drakeo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lzAefl8KIs
Free Drakeo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lzAefl8KIs
The social values promoted in this video are appalling. I'd like to see viewer's age demographics but I'm afraid I already know the answer.
(Also anticipating downvotes. Hopefully the set of those interested in this article can withhold downvoting-for-disagreement.)
(Also anticipating downvotes. Hopefully the set of those interested in this article can withhold downvoting-for-disagreement.)
Pearl clutching over adult men driving cars, then smoking weed and hanging out. It’s west coast trap music, that’s a fairly tame music video.
its west coast trap music what do you expect
Ha! The video I posted is tame for gangster rappers. What exactly are you outraged by in the video? Crashing cars? Guns? Drinking lean? The lyrics?
What's really appalling is that Americans enacted stupid policies that pitted the police in war against the gangs over drug profits. The part of Watts where these rappers like Drakeo and 03 Greedo grew up is absolutely brutal, but the Crip set there is well connected after 50 years of activity. I guarantee these guys don't care whether you like it or not... but it's reality until you can overcome your outrage and legalize the things that make gang life so potentially lucrative.
What's really appalling is that Americans enacted stupid policies that pitted the police in war against the gangs over drug profits. The part of Watts where these rappers like Drakeo and 03 Greedo grew up is absolutely brutal, but the Crip set there is well connected after 50 years of activity. I guarantee these guys don't care whether you like it or not... but it's reality until you can overcome your outrage and legalize the things that make gang life so potentially lucrative.
> ...legalize the things that make gang life so potentially lucrative.
Oh, you mean legalize robbery, extortion, theft and burglary too? What do you think gang members are going to do if just one of their most lucrative streams of money dries up, get a job at McDonalds?
Oh, you mean legalize robbery, extortion, theft and burglary too? What do you think gang members are going to do if just one of their most lucrative streams of money dries up, get a job at McDonalds?
That Al Capone didn't turn to flipping burgers after the 21st Amendment doesn't illustrate the correctness of the 18th Amendment.
Robbery, extortion, theft and burglary - plus other crimes and social ills - are all made far, far, far worse by keeping the control and supply of recreational drugs firmly in the hands of homicidal maniacs.
Robbery, extortion, theft and burglary - plus other crimes and social ills - are all made far, far, far worse by keeping the control and supply of recreational drugs firmly in the hands of homicidal maniacs.
> Robbery, extortion, theft and burglary - plus other crimes and social ills - are all made far, far, far worse...
Really? What's the evidence for that?
I'm not necessarily in favor of criminalizing drug trade, but it stands to reason that absent that "line of business", criminals would be under higher pressure to make money otherwise.
Drug trade at least is more likely to only affect those involved with drugs, whereas these other crimes are more likely to affect "bystanders".
Really? What's the evidence for that?
I'm not necessarily in favor of criminalizing drug trade, but it stands to reason that absent that "line of business", criminals would be under higher pressure to make money otherwise.
Drug trade at least is more likely to only affect those involved with drugs, whereas these other crimes are more likely to affect "bystanders".
> Really? What's the evidence for that?
I thought this was an uncontroversial fact everyone knew, but a two-second search on drug-related crime would answer your question, with many links. For example:
"In 2004, 17% of state prisoners and 18% of federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs [...] In 2002 about a quarter of convicted property and drug offenders in local jails had committed their crimes to get money for drugs [...] Among state prisoners in 2004 the pattern was similar, with property (30%) and drug offenders (26%) more likely to commit their crimes for drug money than violent (10%) and public-order offenders (7%)."
https://www.bjs.gov/content/dcf/duc.cfm
> I'm not necessarily in favor of criminalizing drug trade, but it stands to reason that absent that "line of business", criminals would be under higher pressure to make money otherwise.
Drug legalization is not about ending all crime, and nobody is saying it would, so I'm not sure why you keep saying this. It's about reducing the power of organized crime/cartels, reducing drug-related crime (see above), providing more effective rehabilitation and safety/health, and civil liberties.
> Drug trade at least is more likely to only affect those involved with drugs, whereas these other crimes are more likely to affect "bystanders".
I'm not even sure what you're arguing here, but it seems to be that you think the drug trade only negatively affects drug users and, even more bizarrely, that criminals aren't already involved in "other crimes".
I thought this was an uncontroversial fact everyone knew, but a two-second search on drug-related crime would answer your question, with many links. For example:
"In 2004, 17% of state prisoners and 18% of federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs [...] In 2002 about a quarter of convicted property and drug offenders in local jails had committed their crimes to get money for drugs [...] Among state prisoners in 2004 the pattern was similar, with property (30%) and drug offenders (26%) more likely to commit their crimes for drug money than violent (10%) and public-order offenders (7%)."
https://www.bjs.gov/content/dcf/duc.cfm
> I'm not necessarily in favor of criminalizing drug trade, but it stands to reason that absent that "line of business", criminals would be under higher pressure to make money otherwise.
Drug legalization is not about ending all crime, and nobody is saying it would, so I'm not sure why you keep saying this. It's about reducing the power of organized crime/cartels, reducing drug-related crime (see above), providing more effective rehabilitation and safety/health, and civil liberties.
> Drug trade at least is more likely to only affect those involved with drugs, whereas these other crimes are more likely to affect "bystanders".
I'm not even sure what you're arguing here, but it seems to be that you think the drug trade only negatively affects drug users and, even more bizarrely, that criminals aren't already involved in "other crimes".
> I thought this was an uncontroversial fact everyone knew...
Well, obviously not.
> ...but a two-second search on drug-related crime would answer your question, with many links...
So, a minority of offenders claim they did their deed "because of drugs" and if drug legalization were to happen and we suppose that 100% of these candidates now stay on the good side of the law, we can expect, at the very best, a 30% reduction in crime.
That doesn't answer the question about career criminals. Let's say drugs are free, that's great, no more crime for drug money. What else do people want to buy with money they can't earn legally? What about status symbols like jewellery or sneakers? Don't you need these to be free too? But then how could they be status symbols?
I have no doubts that drug legalization will reduce some amount of crime that is tangentially related to drug use or trade. However, there's no clear correlation between drug prohibition and crime, some countries with very strict prohibition (Japan, Korea) are low on crime, others are high in crime (Phillipines).
I reiterate, if you have a bunch of gangsters and take away their most lucrative and (arguably) most benign stream of income, they need to move on to other venues. I'd rather have them sell weed and coke and maybe get into the occasional turf war, rather than having them double down on robberies and home invasions.
> Drug legalization is not about ending all crime, and nobody is saying it would, so I'm not sure why you keep saying this.
I'm not saying this.
> I'm not even sure what you're arguing here, but it seems to be that you think the drug trade only negatively affects drug users...
Read it again, maybe you'll figure it out. Drug trade mostly affects drug dealers, users and their peers.
Certainly you must recognize that there's a tradeoff here - legalization of all drugs would be a big experiment with lots of unknowns.
Well, obviously not.
> ...but a two-second search on drug-related crime would answer your question, with many links...
So, a minority of offenders claim they did their deed "because of drugs" and if drug legalization were to happen and we suppose that 100% of these candidates now stay on the good side of the law, we can expect, at the very best, a 30% reduction in crime.
That doesn't answer the question about career criminals. Let's say drugs are free, that's great, no more crime for drug money. What else do people want to buy with money they can't earn legally? What about status symbols like jewellery or sneakers? Don't you need these to be free too? But then how could they be status symbols?
I have no doubts that drug legalization will reduce some amount of crime that is tangentially related to drug use or trade. However, there's no clear correlation between drug prohibition and crime, some countries with very strict prohibition (Japan, Korea) are low on crime, others are high in crime (Phillipines).
I reiterate, if you have a bunch of gangsters and take away their most lucrative and (arguably) most benign stream of income, they need to move on to other venues. I'd rather have them sell weed and coke and maybe get into the occasional turf war, rather than having them double down on robberies and home invasions.
> Drug legalization is not about ending all crime, and nobody is saying it would, so I'm not sure why you keep saying this.
I'm not saying this.
> I'm not even sure what you're arguing here, but it seems to be that you think the drug trade only negatively affects drug users...
Read it again, maybe you'll figure it out. Drug trade mostly affects drug dealers, users and their peers.
Certainly you must recognize that there's a tradeoff here - legalization of all drugs would be a big experiment with lots of unknowns.
I think the music is lacking value more than the social values are lacking.
> Free Drakeo!
Yeah, no. He belongs in jail. Maybe not specifically for murder, but certainly for some of the other stuff he has been involved with.
Yeah, no. He belongs in jail. Maybe not specifically for murder, but certainly for some of the other stuff he has been involved with.
And why is that? Being friends with gangsters is a crime now too?
Why would they stop their violence and be held accountable when the authorities people like you put in power aren't able to be held accountable?
How do you feel about the board and executive team at Purdue Pharma? Weird how we invaded Afghanistan and then how much does it hurt and how much heroin do you need became part of every medical diagnosis.
How do you feel about the board and executive team at Purdue Pharma? Weird how we invaded Afghanistan and then how much does it hurt and how much heroin do you need became part of every medical diagnosis.
Greedo, Drakeo and Shoreline Mafia are probably the most exciting West Coast hip hop artists at the moment.
If you're excited by a simple, Seuss-esque rhyming pattern with hollow lyrics. Its rather the trap beat and vocoder that appeal (to anyone); viral sounds; ear worms; thats about it.
Nothing moving the culture ahead. Nothing revolutionary as far as content goes.
03 Greedo sounds pretty much the same... "...choppa make ya do a backflip, redrum..." Translated: "My gun has so much power it will blow you over backwards, murder". Why is anyone still listening to this type of content? I'll tell you why... the beat and the vocoder.
I could LITERALLY say any dumb ish over a trap beat and it would catch your ear and make you nod your head. Thats the danger of passive listening. You will find yourself nodding your head to terrible words. Guard your mentals!
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The production is why I listen. Take 03 Greedo's "Sweet Lady" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE3v7nSnHN4), for instance - this flips a hip-hop convention on its head by mixing the vocals lower than the sample, giving it a faraway quality I'd argue is innovative within genre constraints.
The other factor is that I feel like the West Coast is in a general slump right now compared to even five years ago. The Bay Area sound is played out; the YG/Nipsey (RIP)/Game modernized-classic gangsta rap sound hasn't had any good projects for a while; and Kendrick himself hasn't released anything since the Black Panther OST two years ago.
The other factor is that I feel like the West Coast is in a general slump right now compared to even five years ago. The Bay Area sound is played out; the YG/Nipsey (RIP)/Game modernized-classic gangsta rap sound hasn't had any good projects for a while; and Kendrick himself hasn't released anything since the Black Panther OST two years ago.
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It's not amazing sounding. Sounds like phone-quality audio like you would expect, and the production isn't very good either. Find myself in disagreement with Pitchfork on this one.
Strongly agree. Nothing remarkable, not even a little bit. It doesn't even sound _good_.
It's like some forms of metal and punk, being raw is part of the appeal. When most of your songs feature long interludes of "mud"-induced rambling, it's not that important than your prison-phone vocals sound pristine.
Aesthetically, I understand what you're saying. I like muddy stuff, but this is just poorly mixed IMO. Not like in an audiophile "but the compression!" way or something, it just sounds like garbage.
[deleted]
Ok, we've taken the amazing sounds out of the title above.
https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/03/drakeo-the-ruler-charges...
Acquitted of all counts pertaining to murder and attempted murder and still remains incarcerated in solitary confinement inside the COVID-wracked county jail — without the option to post bail.