Rap Cesspool Investigation

Hard core rap has a bad name – it’s about to get worse:

Money laundering and drug dealing on the road are at the heart of a federal probe into hot-rising rap label Murder Inc. – home to such stars as Ashanti and Ja Rule – law-enforcement sources said.

A federal raid of the record label’s Manhattan offices Friday morning was the tip of the iceberg of an exhaustive, year-long investigation focusing on murder, money-laundering, gun charges and a variety of strong-arm tactics, according to law-enforcement officials.

Not only are the agencies involved trying to establish a cash connection between convicted Queens drug lord Kenneth McGriff and Murder Inc. mogul Irv Gotti, but they are probing to see how much of the multimillion-dollar music operation is financed with drug money, sources said.

….The raid and investigation are likely to cause a stir in the competitive rap industry, as finger-pointing begins over who leaked information to the cops, said one industry insider.

“This can create a lot of venom within the rap community,” said Ronnie Goodman, a production-company vice president who represents several hip-hop artists. “It’s going to be a black eye.”

What a shock that a company named “Murder Inc.” would be investigated for – of all things – murder. Sometimes the truth is hiding in plain sight. I don’t think this is what people mean when they say rap is dead, but it doesn’t help.