5 Rappers who avoided serious allegations and won major legal battles

Throughout Hip Hop's history, rappers have released millions of songs speaking on their time spent inside prison. These songs recount why they were charged and how much they have grown since that experience.

Artists like Lil Wayne, Bobby Shmurda, Kodak Black, Fat Joe, and more all released major projects upon being released. Most notable was Wayne dropping his ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV, one year after being released, with the album debuting at No.1 on Billboard's Hot 200 album charts and selling close to a million copies in its first week.

With the recent news of Young Thug's trial heating up after his attorney, Brian Steel, was sentenced to 20 days in jail and being held in contempt of court, here is a list of rappers who evaded serious allegations and won their legal battles.

Tupac Shakur and four other popular rappers who beat their legal cases

1) Tupac Shakur

The legendary West Coast MC is known for his poetic yet aggressive delivery, usually revolving around social themes and racial issues, as witnessed on his third studio album, Me Against The World.

However, following the 1993 release of his now iconic second studio album, Strictly 4 My N***A.Z…, Pac was caught up in major legal battles that could've derailed his growing career. In October 1993, Pac got involved in a physical altercation with two off-duty police officers in Atlanta, who were harassing an African American driver.

According to reports on the incident, the police officer brothers, Mark Whitwell and Scott Whitwell, were found to be intoxicated during their altercation. The fight escalated to where one of the cops pulled out his gun, swinging it in the air, leading to Pac firing his gun in an act of self-defense, non-fatally striking both officers.

During the investigation, the Whitwell brothers were confirmed to have been high and carrying stolen guns. Given the strong evidence of Tupac being identified as the retaliator, the case was dismissed, and all charges against the rapper were dropped.

2) Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg was almost charged with first-degree murder for the death of Philip Woldemariam, shot and killed in Los Angeles' Woodbine Park on August 23, 1993. Snoop and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, were arrested during the recording of his debut studio album, Doggystyle.

As per a 1996 report from the LA Times, Philip Woldemariam, supposedly repping a rival gang, got into a verbal altercation with Snoop and McKinley Lee, who were seated in a Jeep Cherokee. This escalated to where Lee shot and killed Philip from the passenger's side of the vehicle while Snoop was in the driver's seat.

Both were indicted on first-degree murder charges, manslaughter, and conspiracy. The trial proceedings began in 1995, lasting three months, and ended in 1996 when it was determined that McKinley acted in self-defense. Snoop and Lee were then acquitted on February 20, 1996, and found guilty of all charges except a voluntary manslaughter charge.

3) Diddy

In December 1999, Diddy (Puffy) and his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, visited a nightclub in New York with his Bad Boy record label signee Shyne and the rest of his entourage. At some point, Diddy supposedly bumped into Matthew Allen, spilling the man's drink, which led to both engaging in an aggressive verbal altercation.

According to reports surrounding the incident, Allen allegedly threw a stack of money at Diddy. This escalated their argument to Shyne pulling out a gun and firing multiple shots in an attempt to hit Matthew but ended up striking three innocent bystanders instead.

Diddy and Jennifer fled the scene, running several red lights before being stopped by law enforcement a few blocks away. During their search, police officers discovered a stolen gun in the Bad Boy CEO's vehicle, leading to Puffy charged with the night-club altercation for assault with a deadly weapon.

Puff's trial began in 2001, lasting two months with Johnnie Cochran leading his defense, well known for his work on OJ Simpson's defense team. The rapper was acquitted of all charges and released; however, Shyne was found guilty of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession but acquitted of his attempted murder charges.

4) Gucci Mane

Gucci Mane (Radric Delantic Davis) and Jeezy's well-documented rap feud led to the death of Henry Lee Clark III, known as Pookie Loc, for which Gucci almost caught a murder charge in 2005. Their rivalry appeared to have started after the rapper's first collaboration and debut single Icy, the song was included as part of Davis's debut studio album Trap House.

They started beefing since Jeezy (Jay Wayne Jenkins) wished to have Icy on his debut album, instead titled Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Both rappers would engage in a diss war, exchanging several diss tracks aimed at one another, with allegations emerging that Jeezy had placed a $10,000 bounty on Gucci's chain. Eventually, this beef ultimately led to the death and murder of Henry Lee Clark III.

As per reports, Mane shot and killed Pookie, a known associate tied to Jeezy's crew. Henry supposedly attacked Gucci at his home in Decatur, Georgia. The rapper then turned himself in a few days after the incident, admitting to the shooting but claiming his actions were in self-defense.

After serving nine months in jail, Gucci Mane was acquitted of all charges on January 17, 2006, given the several eyewitness reports that supported his self-defense claims. The rapper was released and found not guilty of first-degree murder.

5) Lil Mosey

Lil Mosey and his friend Band Kid Jay were accused of rape based on an incident that occurred on January 6, 2020. The incident report cites that Mosey and Jay had allegedly assaulted a woman at a cabin in Washington who was unable to consent due to being heavily intoxicated.

The victim allegedly agreed to meet Mosey at the cabin and sleep with him but cited that she woke up to find another man (Band Kid Jay) on top of her. This resulted in the court issuing the rapper with a restraining order and requiring him to maintain complete sobriety.

Mosey was charged with rape in April 2021, where he maintained his innocence and pleaded "not guilty" to the charge. Both rappers were acquitted of second-degree rape charges in March 2023 after a two-year investigation that found them innocent, dismissing the case.

Other rappers who've beat major legal allegations laid against them include Boosie BadAzz, who was acquitted of first-degree murder in 2012. Freddie Gibbs was found not guilty on sexual assault charges in 2016, and YNW Melly who beat part of his case that ended in a mistrial this year.

Edited by Ivanna Lalsangzuali