Diddy’s day-to-day life behind bars has remained a fixture in the news, especially since he seems to have access to things that the average incarcerated person does not. That’s just what money gets you behind bars, according to Judge Mathis, who believes that the music mogul is facing more severe punishment compared to wealthier counterparts who’ve also served time.
Per All Hip Hop, Mathis explained how he believes race played a role in Diddy’s punishment for alleged perks behind bars during an interview with The Art Of Dialogue. While initially joking about how Diddy made a “mafia play” from behind bars, alluding to the famous scene from Goodfellas, he said Diddy essentially paid people to be his staff behind bars, which isn’t a new concept.
Mathis explained that a lot of inmates pay upwards of $2,000 to have a guard sell them a cell phone in prison. “In that sense, he’s doing what they do. Those who can do, do. But what we got to understand: we can’t do what white folks do. That’s the mistake we make,” he said. “We think we’re gonna be treated just like they are.”
Judge Mathis Speaks On Diddy
He pointed to Harvey Weinstein and Martha Stewart as examples who’ve also had access to certain perks in prison without punitive measures. However, Mathis also explained how celebrities in the feds are treated better than those in certain state prisons where the wealthy are essentially extorted.
“[Diddy] is just doing what the white folks do but he’s not white,” Mathis added. “When he sued the record label and the liquor company, and made it a racial issue, I believe that was part of the attack against him. Or a lot of the power there because some of those incidents, with Cassie and others… they had been years earlier. But coincidentally, when he sued those cats, boom. But we can’t do what they do.”
Mathis pointed out how someone like Trump can speak freely as the president, whereas a Black person holding the same position would be held to an entirely different standard. Check the video above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.
Read More: The Grammys Has A Hip-Hop Problem
