Black men in North Carolina may find themselves living longer healthier lives if they simply get locked up. A study was conducted and inmates in prison of African-American descent in the Tar Heel state were found to be somewhat protected against alcohol and drug related deaths and certain chronic diseases.

According to findings published in Annals of Epidemiology, white prisoners were more likely to die while incarcerated.

The study involved about 100,000 men between age 20 and 79 who were held in North Carolina prisons at some point between 1995 and 2005.

Researchers linked prison and state health records to determine the cause of death of inmates, then compared those statistics to the expected death of the average males of the same age and race that were not in jail.

Less than one percent of men died during incarceration regardless of race, but outside prison walls, blacks have a higher rate of death at any given age than whites.

"What's very sad about this is that if we are able to all of a sudden equalize or diminish these health inequalities that you see by race inside a place like prison, it should also be that in places like a poor neighborhood we should be able to diminish these sort of inequities," said Evelyn Patterson, who studies correctional facilities at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. David Rosen talked about the healthcare in prison that may add to the life expectancy but on the contrary he brought up the loss of family, relationships, employment and opportunity once a man becomes a prisoner.

Does this mean men should go to jail in order to add some years to their lives? Probably not, but it does say that we should be able to avoid the pitfalls of the world without having to be barred from society.

 “Ahahahahahahhaahahahhahaha!  Lmaooooooooooo.  So now I was a d*ked an dated remy ma n made a vid dressed as a boy?!?!?!?  Lmaooooo U ppl r simple.”

Recently a  video surfaced of a woman that was allegedly Nicki Minaj stating that she had sexual relations with Remy Ma back in the day.  Minaj quickly laid waste to such rumors. 

So, which part exactly is she so offended by?

As the official first lady of the Young Money brand, Nicki Minaj has her hands full, along with the rest of the roster as they have to deal with their leader going behind bars. 

With so much buzz, without a debut album from one member, aside from Tyga, the rap group must find a way to fend for their own without Wayne directly behind them.

Being the lone standing female rapper in Hip Hop, in relation to relevance, as well as Young Money, Minaj will have to carry the torch whether it was in her initial blueprint or not.

Before officially signing with Lil Wayne, few would have known that she wasn't riding with him anyway as the two collaborated on various mixtape tracks.  The two clearly were able to develop a sibling bond through their interactions.

While at the Jingle Jam in Connecticut, Nicki spoke with Hot 93.7 and gave details on Lil Wayne's incarceration.

“I just know that he's going to go in February.  [I'm going to visit] as often as I can.  He's going to be in New York and I'm from New York.  I would love to come up there as often as I can.” 

She added that his carefree attitude will make it so his time will fly by even faster and that he will be surrounded by those that care about him.

“He's gonna have so many people there.  I'm sure it will go by like days to him.  It will probably be a weird experience, but at the end of the day, he's gonna come out stronger like he always does.  Nothing ever phases him really, which I guess is the story of a champion.”

Reflecting on her own personal relationship with Wayne, she stated that the rapper made sure that she had whatever she needed out her business deal, which included owning her publishing and merchandise. 

As the jail cell continues to come closer to Wayne, time will dictate the fate of the Young Money roster and the up and comers waiting for their chance to blow into the mainstream.

For Lil Wayne and Lil Boosie, their recent jail sentences, one serving and one pending, have incited an uproar for some in the city of New Orleans as a group of men decided to lead protests on behalf of the rappers to have them freed.

The New Orleans Police Department were given a mighty task Monday as these men felt it necessary to voice their opinion on the recent incarceration of Boosie, as well as, awaiting the sentence for Wayne.

The Times-Picayune reported that off-duty officers spotted men spray-painting the words “Free Lil Wayne” on the side of a building, along with other graffiti.  They also played the role of spectator as the men placed a banner on a separate street which demanded that Boosie, Weezy and all other prisoners that have charges placed against them be freed from confinement.

The group also created a scene by placing police barricades and garbage cans in the street in order to block traffic.

It was reported that the men were without permits to organize such a protest.  Once authorities were contacted, the men were arrested and all were charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest by flight and criminal damage to property.

Boosie spoke with HipHopWired before being sentenced to do a 4-year bid where he spoke on the atmosphere that was Louisiana, particularly his own nesting grounds.

“It's crazy…it's a recession, people are hungry man.  Our governor, he an A-Hole, he just turned down damn near millions people to get jobs.  We in a bad predicament.  The court system all messed up they throwing people away.  It's crazy.”

One can only be grateful that the scene did not erupt into violence, but such a scenario illustrates exactly how these artists leave imprints in the lives of those that embrace them.  Whether they are referred to as stans or devoted friends/fans, they are clearly ready to ride out for their team.

Saigon, who was once behind bars, has been in support of his friend Tru Life, who is currently dealing with a slew of charges, including murder, which could land him with a life sentence. When speaking about Tru, Sai stated that the hardest part that he has had to deal with is the absence of his children.

The rapper has taken the circumstances of Tru and decided to make a difference in whatever way he can by participating in a charity event for In Arms Reach as the host for orientation for the first class which kicks off September 29 at City College in Harlem. The premise is to empower children who have parents that have been within the prison system. By employing arts and music, children will be able to acknowledge their true potential and realize that they have purpose.

The program is backed by the City College for City University of New York and the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education.

A reoccurring issue in the Black community is the lack of fathers within the family as most Black or minority men find themselves behind a cell or dead and have children that have to grow up without a father. It has also become a trend to NOT have a father in the household. Factors such as this have contributed to some young Black boys growing up with a sense of hate which translates into acting out in violence or other criminal acts.

On a more personal level, without the guidance of a male, it becomes more of an issue for a boy to deal with the opposite sex as his mother cannot teach him how to be a man and how to “handle” a female. This can easily lead to issues such as domestic abuse or “baby mama” drama. Black men in America are in need of guidance and hopefully this will be a major step towards helping the cause.