Weird as it may seem in order to qualify to be a hip hop artiste, you need to have served a stint in jail. Many successful rappers from time immemorial have had trouble with the law. But the hip hop world is truly a world of second chances; it has given a chance to previously incarcerated artistes to make a comeback in the industry. Lil Wayne, even when imprisoned on charges of weapon possession, went ahead to win numerous awards. His incarceration did not even cause a decline in his album sales, if anything they sold more.
In clear hip hop fashion, a blast from the past has recently declared a comeback. Mystikal, the fast rapping MC, known for his almost comical style has recently signed with Birdman under Cash Money records. After close to seven years of incarceration, the 41 year old rapper, whose real name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, was released in January 2010. The hit maker, known for hits like danger and shake ya ass, was jailed in 2004 on charges of sexual battery and extortion. To add salt to the injury, in 2005 while serving his sentence, he was additionally charged with failing to file tax returns for two years- attracting another year long jail term.
Other rappers who have served time in jail include T.I, who was imprisoned on felony weapons charges and drug charges but like Lil Wayne, his album topped the charts even when he was in jail. Maino, -who went to jail as a teenager on charges of drug related kidnapping, was later released and immediately signed to Atlantic records without a previous music career.
Now the world waits to see whether Mystikal’s story will be the same. Upon his release he stated that he had been gone for so long and now felt like all he had ever achieved was not real, but he is back to shake up the world.