Meek Mill is to keep up his Thanksgiving tradition of giving turkeys to families in need, despite being in prison.
Since 2013, the 30-year-old, real name Robert Rihmeek Williams, has given away roasting birds to organizations in his Philadelphia hometown, who pass them on to those in need.
The Ima Boss rapper will be spending Thanksgiving in jail this year (17), as earlier this month he began a two-to four-year prison sentence for violating a probation agreement stemming from a 2008 drugs and weapons arrest.
However, his team announced that his DreamChaser’s Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway will still go ahead in a post on Instagram, and that 1,000 birds will be handed out at four locations in Philadelphia throughout Wednesday (22Nov17) – the day before the holiday.
The harshness of Meek’s sentence has sparked outrage, with Kevin Hart and rappers Big Sean and T.I. all backing a ‘free Meek Mill‘ rally. JAY-Z also condemned his incarceration, nine years after his original crime, in an opinion piece in The New York Times.
The rapper’s lawyers have filed a motion to appeal his prison term and terminate his probation. They are also seeking to have Judge Genece Brinkley, who handed Meek his sentence, removed from the case.
His attorneys Brian McMonagle and Joe Tacopina have accused the judge of holding a personal vendetta against the hip-hop star, as he reportedly refused her suggestions to sign a management deal with her friend and declined to record a cover of a Boyz II Men song for her.
A petition calling on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to pardon Meek has attracted more than 380,000 signatures. Wolf has said the matter is out of his hands, as state pardons must be approved by a board.
