People Who Went To Jail After Telling On Themselves In Music & Interviews

Hip-hop and those affiliated with the culture have long thrived on storytelling. The more authentic their life stories appear, the more respect these figures earn. Artists such as King Von were celebrated for being prolific and vivid storytellers in their music. However, some take their tale-telling a step further, documenting crimes verbatim and sitting for interviews that often find them keeping things a bit too real. Much of this has later been used against them in a court of law. While some individuals have become proficient at evading specific inquiries that might implicate them in illegal activities, others lack such finesse and inadvertently incriminate themselves through musical and interview confessions.

Casanova confessed to being a high-ranking gang member 

Rapper Casanova had been interviewed by Vlad TV several times.  However, one that stands out is his February 2017 interview with the media personality, where the rapper plainly stated that his “dirty work” is how he climbed the ranks of the Eighteen Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation gang.  During a November 2019 interview with Nick Cannon, he once again shared his street dealings, though this interview would ultimately help prosecutors build a case.  During a March 2021 hearing, a court specifically stated that the Cannon interview contributed to their decision to deny the rapper bond. “

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Duane “Keefe D” Davis confessed to being in the car with Tupac Shakur’s killers

Duane “Keefe D” Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips member, has done several interviews confessing to being in the vehicle on the night of Tupac Shakur’s murder. The West Coast rapper was gunned down in September 1996. Davis has stated several times that his nephew, Orlando Anderson, was the triggerman after he and Tupac got into a fight inside a Las Vegas casino. Keefe D was arrested in September 2023 for his role in the killing after he confessed to supplying the murder weapon. Investigators have confirmed that Keefe D’s frequent interviews and public confessions are the reason he was arrested. 

Tay K confessed to several crimes in his viral track, “The Race,” which landed him a 55-year sentence

Rapper Tay-K was at the top of his game when he released his track, “The Race” in 2017. He recorded it and shot the music video after cutting off his ankle monitor and hitting the road. Tay-K was on house arrest for a 2016 fatal robbery that left one man dead. In the single, Tay-K seemingly admitted to removing his ankle monitor and participating in the theft, rapping, “We was plottin’, y’all was tryna get the pack in/Get the pack in, you get robbed for a fraction (Gimme that sh**).” After spending months on the run, he was taken into custody and subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison, where he remains today. 

Young Thug is currently on trial, with several of his lyrics being used in the case

While the YSL RICO likely won’t reach a conclusion for many months, if not years, prosecutors have pointed to Young Thug’s lyrics to try and convict him. Among the many songs being used in the trial are those from the 2016 song “Original Slime Sh**,” featuring Yak Gotti. Thug raps, “Murder gang sh**/YSL until we’re dead and pale.” He allegedly threw up gang signs to these lyrics in a 2017 social media post. While a judge has ruled that YSL music can be used in trial, it’s unclear just how much the lawyers will rely on.