Rapper O.T. Genasis was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday night but the charges are much more mundane than you might think/hope. The emcee, best known for his hit "CoCo" and for openly professing his love of cocaine, was taken in for running a red light.
Seems like a bit much for a traffic violation, but after the police pulled the performer over, they ran his license and discovered he had two arrest warrants on his record...stemming from other traffic violations. Those presumably unpaid fines led to Genasis being taken into holding before posting his own bail and leaving shortly afterward.
Perhaps not the most exciting legal issues ever dealt with by a hip-hop star in recent months but ultimately we suppose we should be glad that he'll be able to continue work on his debut album...although we haven't seen any reports that suggest that it will be coming anytime soon.
Unfortunately the news isn't as good for the more established rapper Immortal Technique, who was arrested on Thursday, in nearby Santa Ana, after *allegedly* confronting and assaulting vendors hawking bootleg T-shirts outside one of his shows. The emcee was due to open for Talib Kweli at the OC Observatory, when he allegedly brought a large entourage to call out the vendors for selling apparel with his trademarked logo on it, obviously without intent to give him a cut. The pair were "beaten" and had their merchandise and cellphones stolen, according to a police report.
Technique was allowed by police to perform at the sold-out show that evening anyhow, as law enforcement aimed to prevent upsetting the crowd. He was taken into custody afterward and released Friday morning.
The next time he has a problem with bootleggers, Technique should try the Eric Church approach and sue them instead.
