The New York Police Department initiated the Enterprise Operations unit also known as the “Rap Unit” to monitor Hip Hop shows in New York City.
According to the New York Post, the unit creates lists of weekly Hip Hop shows scheduled in New York City and ranks them as low, medium or high risk for violence and other crimes. Undercover detectives and police officers attend the events, gathering information and monitoring the scene.
The New York Post reports Bronx rapper Remy Ma became a target of the “Rap Unit” monitoring her Irving Plaza concert in 2018. The NYPD kept tabs on the rapper, who remains on parole from a 2007 shooting. Remy Ma currently faces misdemeanor charges in an Irivng Plaza assult against reality star Brittney Taylor.
Remy Ma’s lawyer Dawn Florio suggests the NYPD “rap unit” are Hip Hop police who stalk artists.
“My impression of the hip-hop police is they’re this shadowy, specialized unit that conducts overly aggressive investigations,” Florio told the New York Post. “They’re constantly stalking high-profile rap artists and monitoring their every move.”
Remy Ma is not the only artist targeted by the “Rap Unit.” 50 Cent, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Kodak Black and New Jersey rapper AlBee Al also allegedly had events under the Rap Unit’s radar.
“The Enterprise Operations Unit focuses on venues or entertainers that have been connected with past acts of violence — regardless of musical genre. The primary goal of EOU is to anticipate, based on past incidents, where there is a significant likelihood of violence, and to take steps to prevent people from being hurt, or worse.” says Sgt. Jessica McRorie, an NYPD spokeswoman to the New York Post.
