Wiz Khalifa and other celebrities have reportedly been added to a police watch list.
The New York City Police Department has a mysterious ‘Hip Hop Task Force’ that specialises in the prevention of rap-related crime.
And according to Page Six, the investigative unit recently added a number of famous people to a watch list, as authorities are attempting to curtail anything tragic from happening after Death Row Records founder Suge Knight was shot at Chris Brown’s pre-VMAs party in Los Angeles last weekend.
“All New York club owners are required to inform the Hip-Hop Police in advance if anyone on the watch list is coming in. They want to be there to monitor the crowd and in case any trouble starts,” an insider told the outlet. “They don’t want any situations like the Suge Knight shooting. If something does go down, they want to already be on the scene.”
Wiz, Chris, Drake, French Montana, Fabolous, Young Jeezy, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne and others are said to be on the ‘Hip Hop Squad’ list.
Officer Doris Garcia, an NYPD spokesperson, confirmed to The Village Voice in 2004 city police has an intelligence unit filled with “detectives that monitor the music industry and any incidents regarding the music industry”.
And according to Page Six, the task force remains highly regarded by many.
“If there is a show going on, they are there,” a second source informed the outlet. “Their job is to investigate crimes and curtail violence in the hip-hop industry. So when they find out there is a beef between rappers, they monitor it. They are plainclothes cops, they go to clubs and shows. They were at J.Lo’s show in The Bronx because French Montana and Fat Joe were coming. They’re not there to bother any of these artists, but make sure things run like they’re supposed to run.”
