Meek Mill has decided not to attend the Prison Reform Summit at the White House. His publicist confirmed that his decision had nothing to do with Jay-Z.
During his recent interview with TMZ, Mill explained why he decided to cancel his appearance.
"I was originally scheduled to be part of a panel on Prison Reform at the White House to help shed light on the issues within the system. Unfortunately, the focus turned to the president and myself which concerned me that it might take away from creating a positive result from today's discussions," said Mill.
Even though Mill will not be attending the summit, he said that he remains fully committed to improving the country's criminal justice system.
According to the publication, Mill decided to not push through with his White House appearance after he had a phone conversation with Jay-Z on Friday. However, this claim has not been confirmed by both parties.
Meek Mill's Troubles With The Law
Mill was sentenced to two to four years in prison five months ago after he had violated the terms of his parole following his drug and weapons conviction in 2008. The artist was granted bail last month.
The rapper's case triggered an outcry among some people who claimed that there is an urgent need for criminal justice reform. Mill's case over the past 10 years was overseen by Judge Genece Brinkley, and the decision to send Mill to jail was reportedly hers alone.
When he was just 19 years old, Brinkley convicted Mill on seven charges relating to guns and drugs. The judge sentenced Mill to 11 months to 23 months in country prison plus seven years of probation.
In the documents obtained in court, Brinkley claimed that other judges wanted to give Mill a tougher sentence. However, she simply wanted to give the opportunity to turn his life around.
In less than six months later, Mill got out of prison, but he was paroled to house arrest. In 2009, Brinkley ended the rapper's house arrest but kept him on probation. Over the next two years, the judge found out that Mill tested positive for marijuana and an unidentified type of opiate.
Brinkley gave Mill his first violation charge in 2011. A year later, Mill was asked to undergo a drug test, but he did not show up. When they finally met in court, the judge suspended Mill from traveling outside Philadelphia, but he violated this as well.
