I have  previously blogged about a number of hip hop artists who have had contact with the criminal legal system. It seems as though fame and riches do not insulate you from prison if you are a black or brown rapper.

I read a piece in Forbes Magazine a couple of days ago which suggests that, for Lil’ Wayne and some other hip hop artists, a prison experience enhances their bottom lines.

From the article:

Lil Wayne isn’t the only one of hip-hop’s cash kings to turn a jail sentence into marketing clout. 50 Cent parlayed a short stint in state custody into a gritty image and a lucrative recording career, and Senegalese crooner Akon used (and often exaggerated) his jail time to launch brands including Konvict Clothing and Konvict Muzik. Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris finished serving a one-year sentence earlier this summer and promptly scored a deal to become the global spokesperson for the French cognac Remy Martin.

I take it that the moral of the story according to Forbes is “Mo Time, Mo Money.”  There is something so deeply troubling about this type of reporting.  I understand that these facts may not be in dispute but what is the socially redeeming value of this article.  Perhaps its purpose is to encourage more young black and brown rappers to get in trouble with the law in order to sell more product???

The article continues by highlighting the efforts of Lil’ Wayne to capitalize off his incarceration by selling merchandise through his website:

Lil Wayne’s camp launched a website, weezythanxyou.com, in early April, that sells “Free Weezy” T-shirts and asks fans to write to the star in jail. He responds personally to some.

I just don’t even know how to react to this.  On the one hand, I don’t want to begrudge Wayne for getting rich off the very system that profits off his incarceration.  On the other hand, the commercialization of jail stints in hip hop culture has a certain perversity to it.  This relates to my ongoing concern that Lil’ Wayne is on a quest to glamorize incarceration.  It is incredibly problematic and even potentially destructive to the lives of countless of young black and brown youth who do not have Wayne’s fame or wealth to buffer their prison experience.  Youth on the Westside of Chicago who go to prison are not going to leave with endorsements and new products.   I am curious to know how many Forbes articles have been written about all of the businesses that profit off the prison industrial complex.  I am willing to bet that the number is a big, fat, ZERO.