Apparently, the NYPD has a special unit set aside just for rappers.
According to PageSix, New York's boys in blue created a special unit known as the "Hip-Hop Squad." Their watch list includes a number of rappers and stars including Drake, Chris Brown and French Montana.
The site reports that the unit is beefing up its surveillance on their New York parties in the wake of the Suge Knight shooting in Los Angeles. The squad keeps a list of rappers and hip-hop stars whose shows and night club appearances are closely monitored.
Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa,Young Jeezy, Fat Joe, Jim Jones and Lil Wayne are also on the list.
"All New York club owners are required to inform the Hip-Hop Police in advance if anyone on the watch list is coming in. They want to be there to monitor the crowd and in case any trouble starts," and "insider" told Page Six. "They don't want any situations like the Suge Knight shooting. If something does go down, they want to already be on the scene."
PageSix's report describes the unit as a group of plain-clothes officers who attend shows and appearances by notable hip-hop acts. They allegedly attend these shows to monitor the scene and investigate crimes involving artists. They also monitor "beefs" between certain artists.
The insider mentioned that part of the squad's responsibility is to try to space out set times between rap artists to avoid any altercations.
"It's better to have them on hand. They're not there to bother any of these artists, but make sure things run like they're supposed to run," the source says. "The other part of it is, there's a lot of really street-leaning gangster guys on the fringes of the industry... The police task force keeps tabs on who is around certain rappers and what movements they are going through."
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