As I sit here writing this letter in federal prison with two years and a half in on a 25-year sentence I received due to “Mandatory Minimum Drug Laws,” I still cannot believe how much time they gave me for a minor role in a drug conspiracy I had no direct knowledge of.
Nonetheless, I have not allowed my circumstances to discourage my resilient character or plans for my future. My story is inspiring or terrifying, depending on what part you highlight. Therefore, I ask that my incarceration not be held in vain but increase your motivation to fight against these harsh drug laws – not only because of personal interest due to my situation, but because of so many other young brothers’ lives you will save all across the country that have become prey for our so-called justice system.
Mandatory minimums keep us confined well after the so-called rehabilitation period. In fact, it seems like the longer someone serves in prison, the less chance he has once released. I ain’t here trying to justify our actions of crime, but for a second, imagine a 20-year-old kid released from prison at 43 years old. It is perceived to be a new beginning, but in actuality, he’s forced to secure a future that most people have already established by then. Following the thoughts and fantasies that have raced through his mind the past 20 years, a man is usually so eager to obtain these things, he resorts to the same actions that landed him in prison in the first place.
How can we call that justice? How does this help us as a society? How can a person who commits murder or rapes a child receive lesser time than an individual who is charged with a low-level drug offense? I agree with Michelle Alexander: we are living in a mass incarceration age of colorblindness, which has become the New Jim Crow. Not to sound like a revolutionist or politician because I’m far from both – I’m just a rapper who made a poor choice to get involved in selling drugs – but I’m using my voice to shed light on this harsh reality. Until my pen bang again, I wanna shout out F.A.M.M. (Families Against Mandatory Minimums). Y’all hard work doesn’t go unnoticed behind these walls.
1. Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff was born on September 19th, 1960.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
1 of 18
2. He grew up in the Baisley Park housing projects in Queens, New York.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
2 of 18
3. McGriff rose to infamy in the 1980s when he gained wealth through crack cocaine distribution.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
3 of 18
4. McGriff's gang, deemed the “Supreme Team," was based in South Jamaica, Queens, New York.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
4 of 18
5. At its peak, the gang had thousands of members.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
5 of 18
6. And was bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars a day.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
6 of 18
7. The gang’s operations were incredibly complicated, using the Five Percenter Supreme Alphabet and Supreme Mathematic as coded languages to avoid police investigation.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
7 of 18
8. In 1987, McGriff saw his first jail time, pleading guilty in a continuing criminal enterprise. He was sentenced to 12 years, but got out only 7 years later on parole.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
8 of 18
9. McGriff has been referenced by hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent and Nas.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
9 of 18
10. McGriff was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after being convicted of several murder-for-hires.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
10 of 18
11. McGriff was introduced and believed in the Nation of Islam sect, the "Five Percenters."
Source:Kenneth McGriff
11 of 18
12. Making friends with hip-hop producer Irv Gotti, McGriff began meeting rappers and urban musicians, often providing them with protection.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
12 of 18
13. McGriff produced a film called 'Crime Partners,' which starred rappers such as Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg, and Ice-T.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
13 of 18
14. 50 Cent's song "Ghetto Qu'ran" mocked McGriff. 50 has since claimed McGriff is behind the attempt on his life, during which he was shot 9 times.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
14 of 18
15. McGriff is currently serving his life sentence at the ADX Florence Prison in Florence, Colorado.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
15 of 18
16. McGriff was willing to be sentenced to death in exchange for the ability to testify at his trial.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
16 of 18
17. He was never granted that right to testify, and was instead sentenced to life in prison.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
17 of 18
18. He has now penned a letter to President Barack Obama asking for a presidential pardon to return to court and testify in his own defense.
Source:Kenneth McGriff
18 of 18
Continue reading Exclusive: Kenneth ‘Supreme’ McGriff’s Life In Prison (PHOTOS)
Exclusive: Kenneth 'Supreme' McGriff's Life In Prison (PHOTOS)