Wednesday, January 28, 2009
News Nicknames and jail sentences
Posted by Andisheh Nouraee on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 4:47 PM
The AJC reports today rapper Rodney Hill, a.k.a. Rocko Da Don, was sentenced to two days in jail and community service after pleading no contest to a single count of battery stemming from a violent altercation at the Velvet Room in 2007.
I'm not familiar with the details of the case, so I can't say if the penalty is appropriate for the incident.
I nevertheless can't help but wonder: shouldn't the fact that Mr. Hill performs using a name meant to evoke an Italian mafia boss factor into his sentencing? Calling yourself Rocko Da Don is a proud declaration of criminality. That should automatically add five years to his sentence.
Same goes for rapper Corey Miller, who records using the name C-Murder. Miller is actually awaiting trial for the 2002 murder of a 16-year-old fan. Is a trial even necessary? For f*ck's sake, he calls himself C-Murder. Isn't that an admission of guilt?
And before you start complaining that I'm singling-out rappers: I think this rule should apply to everyone.
For example, if David Bowie (real name: David Jones) was arrested for murdering someone with old-fashioned hunting knife, I say go ahead and assume he's guilty.
If surfer-singer Jack Johnson is ever arrested for masturbating in public, same thing. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. So what if it's his real name.
(Photo by Josh Rhinehart)
Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
like
dislikeExcellent point about Ms. Spears. She's pop music's Vlad The Impaler. I'm kind of a old-mannish in my musical tastes though, which is why Bowie came to mind. I'm not sure how poor Jack Johnson got dragged into this. He came to mind when I was thinking of non-rap examples. I know his face from magazines, but don't think I've ever heard his music.
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