Beanie Sigel
Beanie Sigel all but predicted the fate of his career when he created the State Property brand to promote a jail clothes inspired clothing line, release compilations titled The Chain Gang and make a movie about him going to jail. At the height of his career he was debatebly the second most popular artist on Roc-A-Fella Records behind Jay Z, the other being a young Kanye West. With Jay Z retiring from rap, the stage was set for Sigel to move in the ranks. But starting in 2002 with a weapons charge, Beanie just started wilding out. In January 2003 he punched a 53-year old man and broke his eye socket. In July of that same year he was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault and possession of a criminal instrument after allegedly shooting up a club injuring two people. He escaped the attempted murder charges [he rapped about being offended by the charge because it “disrespected his aim“] but he did wind up serving one year in jail over the previous weapons charge. In the time leading up to serving his sentence, Sigel was working on his third album The B.Coming. The album would come out in 2005 while he was in jail and of course, he was on the cover behind bars. The album was arguably his best work, but he wasn’t there to promote it or bask in the acclaim. Adding insult to injury, Roc-A-Fella Records’ founders Dame Dash and Jay Z split while he was locked up. Sigel got out jail in 2005 but went right back months later after falling behind on child support. Finally, in 2007 he released his welcome home album The Solution, but the rap climate had changed by then with snap/trap/dance tracks dominating the airwaves. When he got of jail for that he was shot and robbed a month later. Sigel would continue to release music but to less fanfare without the Roc-A-Fella affiliation. In 2010 he was charged with failing to file tax returns. He was scheduled to start serving his two-year sentence on September 12, 2012 but he expedited the process by getting caught and arrested with drugs and guns on August 29. This was just days before he was expected to join his former Roc-A-Fella teammates at Jay Z’s Made In America festival in his hometown of Philadelphia. Beans got out of jail in 2014 and has been doing shows and festivals here and there. He is scheduled to perform at a State Property reunion show on June 12.
Verdict: HURT. From the time he recorded “What Ya Life Like” on his debut album, jail has been a part of his life just as much if not more than music.
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