New York hip-hop police squad - "out of control"

For over two decades, New York City police has had a unit dedicated to keeping tabs on rappers and the people around them, keeping files on figures like Jay-Z, Cam’ron, Damon Dash, Busta Rhymes, and 50 Cent. To this day, officers create reports about rap shows in NYC, naming artists they believe are gang members or that have rivals who may show up looking for trouble. Derrick Parker, the man who initiated the "hip-hop police", says the squad is "for their [rappers'] safety”. Complex reports they don’t just make reports about who is going to be appearing at a club - they also intimidate club owners into canceling events. “They’re a shadowy specialized unit that conducts overly aggressive investigations that monitor every move of entertainers”, says Dawn Florio, who has represented a number of rappers, “to me, it's like stalking at the highest level... This unit is really out of control”.