Rappers love to get high. No, not that kind of high. What we mean is that rappers love to get high in the sky on domestic and international flights. It means that they’ve “made it” in a sense. Some like to take their tour buses and travel that way when they head out to do shows. But, any high-profile rapper will tell you that flying is definitely the way to go—especially with all of the issues that rappers have had with their tour buses in the past.
Unfortunately, there have been a number of rappers who have had—how do we put this?—”issues” when they’ve tried to fly. Although we all know that drugs, guns, and weapons are not permitted on flights, there have been more than a few rappers who have found themselves detained by airport security in the past because of them. The most recent example is 2 Chainz, who was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in New York City last week after security found what they thought were brass knuckles in his carry-on bag. The weapon in question turned out to be a piece of jewelry, but 2 Chainz still had to go through a whole big ordeal and miss his flight because of the situation.
“They tried to assassinate my character,” he told MTV News later, “they tried to assassinate my swag. It was just a negative dilemma earlier where someone misconstrued a piece of jewelry for a weapon and stuff.”
Situations like the one 2 Chainz found himself in aren’t rare, though. Over the years, we have seen plenty of rappers arrested at the airport—and most of them don’t get off quite as easily as 2 Chainz did. To show you what we mean, we put together a list of 10 Rappers Who Have Been Arrested At The Airport. These guys tried to get high but crash landed when they tried to make it past security.—Chris Yuscavage
The Rapper: Kanye West
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Los Angeles International Airport
What He Did: ‘Ye and his manager Don C allegedly got into an altercation with a paparazzo who was trying to take pictures of them in the airport in September 2008. They were both booked and charged with felony vandalism after they allegedly broke the paparazzo’s $10,000 camera. The entire incident was caught on camera.
The Rapper: Yung Joc
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
What He Did: In December 2007, Joc was arrested after trying to sneak a fully-loaded handgun through a security checkpoint. He was arrested and thrown into the local Cuyahoga County Jail.
The Rapper: Uncle Murda
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Los Angeles International Airport
What He Did: Security pulled the Brooklyn MC aside in May 2008 after he attempted to use a fake ID before boarding a flight. He was hauled to the police station, cited for using the false identification, and released.
The Rapper: Snoop Dogg
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Burbank, Calif.’s Bob Hope Airport
What He Did: After police approached Snoop for parking in a passenger pickup zone in October 2006, they searched his vehicle and found marijuana and a gun inside. They arrested him on suspicion of possessing marijuana and a handgun and he was released on $35,000 bail.
The Rapper: DMX
The Airport He Got Arrested At: London’s Heathrow Airport
What He Did: During a flight to London in May 2006, X refused to put on his seatbelt on (gangsta!) and caused a huge disturbance when the crew attempted to get him to sit down and relax. He was arrested on suspicion of being verbally abusive to cabin crew when the flight landed.
The Rapper: DMX
The Airport He Got Arrested At: New York City’s JFK Airport
What He Did: Oh, you thought Heathrow was X’s first airport-related arrest? Not by a long shot! Back in June 2004, he was arrested at JFK after attempting to carjack a car from a garage while barking and claiming to be a federal agent. He was charged with cocaine possession, criminal impersonation, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, menacing, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The Rapper: Busta Rhymes
The Airport He Got Arrested At: London City Airport
What He Did: Actually, nothing. Yet, Busta was still detained at the airport in September 2008 for more than 10 hours after London authorities found out that he had criminal convictions in the United States stemming from an incident in which he assaulted his former driver and a fan. And, the worst part? He was in town to headline a free charity concert.
The Rapper: Coolio
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Los Angeles International Airport
What He Did: The “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper was charged with possession of cocaine and a smoking device in March 2009 after an airport screener found both in his luggage. He was also hit with battery charges after he allegedly grabbed the screener’s arm to try and prevent the search.
The Rapper: Kurtis Blow
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Los Angeles International Airport
What He Did: In December 2010, a body scan revealed that the hip-hop legend had “an anomaly” in his pants (go ahead and laugh) which turned out to be a baggie of weed. He had the pot confiscated and was given a ticket for having under an ounce of marijuana on him.
The Rapper: Petey Pablo
The Airport He Got Arrested At: Raleigh-Durham International Airport
What He Did: He attempted to carry a 9mm automatic pistol onto a flight headed to Los Angeles in September 2010 and told authorities that he’d forgotten it was in his carry-on bag. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen gun, and carrying a concealed weapon.