BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition September 2019

Screen Time
FREAKS
AND
MEEK
THERE’S
MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE
LIKE MEEK.
Jay Z
Free Meek docuseries
shines light on hardships
within the criminal justice
system By JOSEPHINE CRUZ
D
espite being released from
jail in April 2018 and subsequently
dropping the most
successful project of his career,
Meek Mill isn’t free. The
Philly based rapper remains trapped
by a criminal justice system designed
to victimize people in all of its stages,
from arrest to incarceration to parole.
The five-part Free Meek docuse-
ries traces Meek’s case and career in
stunning and granular detail, while at
the same time highlighting the broader
epidemic at hand.
The interview segments range from
emotional testimonies from Meek’s
family; reflections from his team
at Roc Nation including Jay Z; and
thorough analyses from legal experts,
offering a 360-degree view of a case
built on shaky evidence and the word
of corrupt law enforcement. While
the docuseries intersperses interviews
with real-life archival footage,
reenactments of events not caught
on camera really bring the frustrating
narrative to life.
In addition to exposing the paper-thin
case brought against Meek
in his original 2008 conviction, Free
Meek is full of baffling moments that
are maddening to watch. There’s the
allegation that Justice Genece Brinkley,
the chief antagonist in Meek’s
story, called a private meeting with
the rapper and asked him to record a
remix of the Boyz II Men ballad, “On
Bended Knee,” that included a shoutout
to her. There’s also an unforgettable
moment where the lawyer who
represents Brinkley gets caught on a
hot mic saying what he really thinks
of the judge.
Free Meek also provides context to
some of the moments that became
favourite fodder for social media
over the last few years, including
Meek’s relationship with Nicki MInaj
and his feud with Drake.
While there’s no happy ending, there
is a glimmer of hope in Meek’s story.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court
recently overturned his 2008 conviction
and also his 2017 probation
violation ruling, which means he will
be getting a new trial on all charges
after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour
gun charge, ending the 12-year
long case.
But despite these small wins, a sobering
reality prevails: “There’s millions
of people like Meek,” Jay Z says at one
point in the doc. The only difference
being that those millions don’t have
Meek’s fame, money and resources.
Freek Meek is streaming now on
Amazon Prime.
42 BEATROUTE SEPTEMBER 2019