Just before taking the stage at the BET Awards on Sunday, Meek Mill unveiled the trailer for the upcoming Amazon docuseries “Free Meek,” which uses the rap star’s incarceration to take a deeper look at America’s probation and parole system.
In November 2017, Meek Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, was sentenced to two to four years in prison after he was arrested for reckless driving in New York City. Although that charge was dismissed, Judge Genece Brinkley still sentenced Mill to two to four years in prison for other technical probation violations, marking the second time she had done so. Five months later, Mill was released on bail while his case was appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
“Free Meek” will take a deeper look into the rapper’s career and struggles with the criminal justice system while examining a parole system that incarcerates African Americans at a rate six times higher than white Americans. Since his release, Meek Mill and his case have become a cause celebre among prison reform activists, and Mill himself has partnered with Jay-Z to establish the REFORM Alliance, a new organization lobbying to enact sweeping changes to probation and parole laws.
“Free Meek” will be released by Amazon on Aug. 9. Check out the trailer that premiered during the BET Awards in the clip above.