The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Meek Mill on "Championships" & Fighting for Criminal Justice Reform (Rebroadcast)

Episode Date: December 28, 2019

Meek Mill discusses his album "Championships" and describes how his experience as a wrongfully convicted man led him to become a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform. Originally aired August 30, 2019. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News.

Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Please welcome, Meek Mill. Oh, welcome to the show. Thanks for having. Yo, man, it has been quite a journey. Yeah. Like, I mean, for everybody who's been watching your life, just in what feels like the period of a year, you've gone from someone who was in prison looking at spending multiple years behind bars to being number one on the billboard charts and

being free again. Yeah. Thank God. Thank God. Are there mornings where you wake up still fearing the idea of going back to jail? Yeah, I wake up every day for him going back their going back to jail. I'm on bell. I don't know if anybody know what that mean. If the Supreme Court overturned my sentence and gave me a bell

and gave me a chance to actually re-fight the case. I'm originally on probation. I was put on probation for a case at the age of 18, falsely accused. And you know, where I come from, like, the value of getting arrested was just like, the way we valued ourselves, it was just like a normal thing if a cop blamed someone, you took a deal, or you went to court and you lost a case that for something you didn't do. As I got older, I got around like, their today, I think I'm pointing a gun at their tho, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, a their, a their, and a their, and a their, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, their, and their, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, and a their, and a their................................... their. their. their. their. their.. their. their..... their...... the the the the the the the the the the the th....... the th. th. th. th. th.ired their self more. And one day I always asked my friend like,

you think I pointed a gun at three or four cops? He white. You think I pointed a gun at four or five cops and got away with it without a single shot being fired? And he always used to say no, but I didn't think he understood what I was really saying to him. So you know, I used to say it all the time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time to the two to four years, it stemmed back from what I actually was found guilty for, a crime that I did not commit.

I don't know if anybody watched like social media, what happens to young black men when you even flash a gun, you don't even have the point of gun at a police officer in America right now, and sometimes the situations turned out tragic. And, you know, as life went on and myself you know I just told my friends like yo let's go look at this case from the beginning let's go check into it and we had investigators checking to this case top the bottom most of the people that even arrested me testified on me were found

guilty for lying of a criminal activity and actually a bunch of people got let out do the investigation investigating these police officers. It's interesting that your case and your story became in many ways what opened up a Pandora's box. People talk about how America's criminal justice system is broken. But now it had a face. Meek Mill, here he was, he was successful. he was selling albums, you know, he was rich,

he was doing well, but... Even he became a victim to the system. Do you think that now, without wanting it, you've now taken on that mantle of being an advocate for criminal justice reform? Yeah, I kind of think it was placed on my lap. It was the basis of it, like, people used to say, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, th, th, th, th, th, th, to to to to to to to to to to, to, to, to, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, the basis of it like people used to say like it's not about him. No it's not about me it's actually about I got found guilty at 18 for a crime I didn't do. I'm 31 years old. I never been back to prison for crime ever again in my life and I was sentenced to a two to four year sentence at 31 years old when I'm at a successful stage in my life. So you you got to imagine people who grew up in up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up in the up up in the to to the to to the the to to the to the the to the to to the to to their up to to to to their their toe. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their. their. I was their. I was their their. I was thiii. I was their their their their. I their their their their their their their their their their their their their the. I was thea. I was thea. I was thea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I was thea. I'm at a successful stage in my life. So you gotta imagine people who grow up in bad environments who get put on probation, probably for petty things

and long-term probation. Right. A lot of people don't realize that the probation, it basically re-ups every single time. So you're basically in this world where it's like, this is your probation, but then something small can happen. You can have an altercation with the cops where you didn't do something wrong but the cops and now you go now it's more and more and more and you're basically permanently at risk of going back to prison and in this album I

think what's really powerful is I mean you've always made music about your life. Yeah but championships is honestly one of the most gripping albums I've ever listened to because you talk about what it's like to be behind bars and it's not funny, it's not cool, it's it's scary man. You talk about hearing the screams of people being raped in prison. Yeah. You talk about you know how prisoners are being treated behind bars by the gods. And in many ways you remind people that there are humans on the other side of the bars. We always say criminals, but there are humans suffering through this. Like, does that stick with you when you leave?

Yeah, it was just a big deal when I got sentenance to a state sentence and you know, a lot of them kids in there was sentenced to state sentence. They took deals because they didn't have lawyer money. Like, you know, they got a th got a th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi they they thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, their tho their their thi, their thea thoes, thoes, thoomomoomoomorrow, thoome, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi. thi. thi. thi, thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thea. thea. thea. thea. theauuuu. theauu. theau. theauu. But, thea. But, thea, thea, they took deals because they didn't have lawyer money. Like, you know, they got a thing, a system called public defenders, if you can't afford a private attorney, the state will assist you with a public defender. A public defender would go over this case, over your case probably in four or five minutes and you know, take you in the courtroom. Right, right. So most of times, these kids are charged with 10-20 charges where they're facing 45 years, 30 years, for things that they most likely didn't even do. They end up taking deals for four, five years,

or three years with a bunch of parole probation. And they'll forever be scarred. You won't be able to get a job. You won't be able to move in certain areas just to having an embarrassing record of cops and I pointed a gun at two police officers. Certain areas I couldn't move. And one time my bank account was closed because I had felonies on my record,

and I'm moving so forward in my life. It just made me want to stand up and speak for people who are caught up in the system and maybe trying to move forward and they're alive. When you, just, like a lot of people, some people, I heard people say like he's not the face, he shouldn't be the face, I'm like, why, I don't want to be the face, I just want to help out and help bring change to the world. Which is amazing. I think that's amazing. Yeah, I like to rap. I like to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the th. th. th. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. the thi. tha. tha. A tha. A tha. A the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. I. I. I. I. I'm. I. I. I tape.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. I. I. I. I. I. I to take care of my family. Right. Can I ask, can ask you a question? I mean, Meek Mill for a lot of people, you know, popped into their lives because of a beef with Drake. Yeah. Right? It was a huge beef with Drake and there

was back to back and this was all going on. And then Meek Mill gets arrested, you go to prison, you come out and then you squash the beef, Drake and you guys genuinely work through it not even like a PR thing you work through it as human beings what when when you go to prison does it feel like a rap beef is just a waste of time yeah basically prison is okay I played ping pong I played chess uh read some books right yeah it was not that I could really benefit from. I already had my path where I was headed to. I employed people, I'm employed myself. I do a lot of charity, so you know, I wasn't really getting into too many of the programs

they had going on. So you know, I worked on my ping pong, learn how to play chess. Chess tort me patience. No, it was a waste of time I feel like, definitely. When you came out, you immediately went into this world of advocating for the people who spoke to you, people wrote you letters. You know, fans who said to you, hey, you've inspired me, not from prison, but just in life. You've inspired me to get over obstacles. And now you're fighting for America to change its ways.

What would you like to see changed in America's prison system? Probation and parole should have standards to it. Me, I've been on probation from 18 years old. I'm 31 years old. I haven't been in jail since. If I decided to cross the bridge to go to New Jersey without calling my probation officer with forgetting, I could actually go to cross the bridge to go to New Jersey without calling my probation officer with forgetting, I could actually go to prison. If I got pulled over or got a traffic ticket, police contact is a violation. If I come in contact with the

police and the judge decides that she don't like the contact that I came in with police, it doesn't have to involve a crime, it doesn't have to, you could be innocent. I got sentenced to two to four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four four to to to to to to to to to to the to to to the to the to to to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to be. the to to to to to to to to to to to, to, to, to, I was. I was. I was. I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I was, I, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, the the the the the the the the the the to, I was.a, I was. I was, I'm, I'm tooes. I'm, tooomea, tooes. I'm, too, tooes. I'm to two to four years for Popin' the Willie. I got arrested in New York for Popin' the Willie, which actually they charged me with an F1 felony when I went to court, the case was thrown out. I didn't even get a traffic for the ticket for Popin' the Willie. I still was sent to jail for that, you know what I'm saying? and just the police th. And just th, and just th, and just th, and just th, and just th, and just th, and just th, and just thi, and just, and just, and just, and just, and just, the police thi, and just, and just, thi, the police, thi, thi, thi, and just, the police, the police, thi, the police, the police, thi, their, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, they. And, they's they's thriiiaugh, thi, thi, they.ea, they's thiia, they's thii, thi, thi, thi jail time basically. And for people that look like me and come from, the environments I come from, police contact happens

on the Delhi base. Me, I've probably been searched by a police 5,000 times in my life. Right. And not speaking, saying all cops are bad, but I just think that's a bad dynamic to put people like me in. Bell reform. At one point, I was locked up with a guy's bell was $100. He spent 28 months in prison.

And that was $100. He couldn't pay $100. And that was taxpayer money. Like we had to pay for this guy to be in jail for 28 months, because he lorted two times in his life. He had a drug addiction. I don't think that was really that was thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi the thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to thi to to to to to to to to to to to to to to told a lot a to to tooomoomoomoes. I tooes. I tooes. I told a told a told a told a told a told a told a told a told a told told told told told told told told told told told told told told told told told told too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. I too. I was too. I was tooe. I was tooea. I was to addiction. I don't think that was really the proper thing. Me being in prison and I know a lot of people hear about prison and thinking like it's like the movies. No, it's really like a mental institution. A lot of people are addicts

and went to prison for probation violations because they was addicted to opioids, marijuana, cocaine. And they're put in prisons. I think that thum type of things should be handled accordinglyededededededededededededededededededededededed thiiiediediediediediedied thiiii thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I' thi. I' thi. I' thi. I' thi. I' thi. I' thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I'm thi. I's they. I's their. I's their. I's thi.they're put in prisons. I think that the type of things should be handled accordingly. I think people that have addictions should go to rehab. You shouldn't go to a prison. People... I don't think, like, I don't think people really realize how deep it is. Like, I used to read comments on when I came home and internet. He broke probation, I'm like, y'all, I'll th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi th thi thi thi thi thi thi that' that' thi thi thi that' that' thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes th. I the the the the the the the the their their their their their th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin, I thin. I thin. I thinks, thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks th Like I used to read comments on when I came home and internet he broke probation go to jail. I'm like, yo, I willy the bike. I willy the bike. I willy the motorcycle. I don't know if any of y'all got kids that have

dirt bikes. I'm in love with dirt bikes. That's what I like to do. I willy the dirt bike. I went from willing a dirt bike to be locked in a cell. I the cell, 23 the cell, 23 the the the cell, 23 the to the the to the cell, 23, 23, 23, the the tococococococe, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm the the the the the the their, I'm the the the the their, I'm like, I'm the motorcycle, I'm the motorcycle, I'm the motorcycle, I'm the motorcycle, I'll the motorcycle, I'll the motorcycle, I'll the the the the motorcycle, I'll, I'll, I'll, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'll the the the the the the motorcycle, I'll tock, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'll the the to contact my family, and going through traumatizing things, and I'm just like, yo, I'm not a threat to society, and nobody that is a threat to society should be placed in these type of conditions because everybody don't make it back from that. I'm telling you, men scream, he probably won't never recover from what happened to him in that prison. He probably was locked th. th. th. th. thiiiii, th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, the, threat, threat, threaten, threat, threat, threat, threat, that's, that's, I's, I's, I is not, I is not, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is, I is that is that is that is that is not, I is not, I is not, I is not, I is not, I is not, I is not th. I is not tho, I is not tho, threat, threat, threat, threat, thr, threat, thr, thr-a, thr-a, thr-a, thr-a, thre-a, throoo, threat, threat, threat, threat, threat, threat, threat, to him in that prison, he probably was locked up for the smallest thing in the world. And it's like, in America, we make it like it's just a normal thing. Some people belong to be in jail. We have dangerous people and people who cause harm and don't offer nothing to society. And you also have the 30%, 40% who are here for technical violations and not committing crime and people who took plea

deals because they couldn't afford lawyers and things like that. So you know, it's so many layers to it. Me, I'm here on shows like this to really deliver my experience of what I went through, you know what I'm saying? Because American can view me as a normal person. They know I have a job. They know I'm not committing crime. And I'm delivering my message just to the world, so we can start on a path of change. Can I tell you, that's something I found interesting, is you have an album out.

Yeah. And I've watched you go on multiple shows, and you don't seem to need to speak about the album. You don't, you don't push it. Yeah. And it's an amazing album. It's at number one. I feel like I'm hot. I think I'm hot. No, I mean, it's amazing to see. It's amazing to see because I mean, many people would say, hey, I mean,

there's a little criminal justice thing, but at the same time I gotta make my money. But you're out there, this, it's really than money, it's bigger than anything else that you're doing, but at the same time people are still buying the music and they're buying the album. I think they're going to get around to that, you know? It's almost nerve-recking coming on a TV show trying to explain your innocence, trying to speak up for voices. I have so many people that I was locked up with that are dedicated that that that to dedicated, that to, to be dedicated, to, to, to be that, trying to even get a voice for people to hear their cries of that situation.

So you always know you do a TV interview might be five, ten minutes, 15 minutes, sometimes even two, three minutes. It's nerve-recking to even try to think about what I have to say and to compensate the people who don't have a voice or even promote my album. So you know, I just try to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the the to their their their the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their try.sf.sco.sco.scooe.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v. t.v.v. t.v. try to freestyle and most of the time we end up talking about digestive reform. So, you know, I also want to talk about the album though. I want to talk about the the music. I want to talk about the state of mind Meek Mill gets into when he gets back in the studio, where do you find your joy? You know, you come from this you come from this place, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you the the the the the the the the the the th th the the the th the the the tho, you come, you come, you come, you come, you come, you to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the also the also the also the also the also the also also the the also also also also also tho, I also also also tho, I also also also also also also tho, I also also also also also also also also also also also also also also also also also also one thing that human beings need more than anything, their freedom, it's taken away from you, you are reminded of how thin that thread is.

But you still have to find your joy, because the album is not, it's not only painful. There's, there's bangers, as you say. People are still fun. How do you, where do you find that joy? I never wrote a song in prison. I was so depressed and stressed out. I couldn't find a time to actually sit down and make a rap, but I always want to explain this like on platforms like this. A lot of people hear rap music and sometimes you hear people talk about violence, drugs and things like that. We actually grew up in these environments our whole lives.

I'm 31 years old from the age of one year old to 22 years old maybe until I got a record deal. I grew up in a ruthless environment. A lot of people, some people grew up in love, some people grow up in hate. I grew up in like the hate survival area where we seen a lot of bad. So now I still know people I have family members who live in that and you know we speak on them things. It's like a social forecaster and I just want to to to to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to deliver to to to to to to to to to to their their to their to their their to their their their their their their their their their their their up their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their the. Ie. I. I'm theoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I. I. I their their who live in that, and you know, we speak on them things. It's like a social forecaster. And I just wanted to deliver my message in a way where all America can view and see what we go through coming from, and I think I'm a good representative because I changed my life around even growing up in hate and survival mode.

And I speak on a lot of things. Like I talk about the opioid addictionaadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadicicicicicicicicicinede. I, thia. I'm, thi. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I toe. I toe. I'm, I toe. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe.a, toe.a, toe.a, toe.a, toe.a, toe.a, toe.a, toe. lot of things. Like I talk about the opioid addiction in my city where like most young guys do percissets. And I talk about guys getting caught up and being influenced by other guys and going to jail and losing that freedom by making bad decisions. And I also talk about the fun side of my life, actually having money, making money and living. Because sometimes that inspired people too, coming from where I come from, we never had anything.

You gotta remember. Anything. The first person I seen was Alan Arson. He's the first African American I've seen, like, with a real nice car. And where I was at it, nobody really had nothing. And that inspired me to be bigger in life life, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thii........................ that that that that inspired that that inspired that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that inspired me that inspired, if you see me on Instagram or something and I'm flaunting a little bit, don't take it personal. I'm just trying to inspire. I just want to say thank you so much for coming on the show. All right, thank you. I appreciate everything that you do, man. Thank you so much.

Championships is available now. It is fire. I'm just a really show. The Daily Show Weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.