Nine-year old rapper Lil’ Poopy has hit a major milestone in his rise to the top of the rap game: a run-in with the authorities.
The Brockton, Massachusetts, police department notified the state’s Department of Children and Families after a snitch ratted on the child prodigy's supposed lewd conduct.
The potential charges against Lil’ Poopy, whose real name is Lule Rivera Jr., and his crew range from child neglect and abuse as depicted in his popular YouTube videos.
Poopy’s father and possible manager insists the department’s investigation is unnecessary, saying his son is "not doing anything wrong."
Rivera’s lawyer, Joseph Krowski, is also quick to defend the young rapper.
"If you watch the videos, there are absolutely no crimes being committed," Krowski told WCVB. "He's very adjusted, he gets good grades. He participates in extra-curricular activities. School always comes first. He just happens to have a God-given exceptional talent."
Lil’ Poopy’s most popular music video is his remix of French Montana’s song "Pop That." It has close to 200,000 views on YouTube.
Poopy is also the youngest member of Montana’s rap group, the Coke Boys.
Brushes with the law are nothing new to the hip-hop community. Many rappers seem to relish the extra attention that jail time brings to their "street cred."
In 2009 rapper T.I. was incarcerated following a federal weapons conviction. He celebrated with a going-away tour that ended the night before he turned himself over to the authorities.
Last year Lil Wayne announced he would release "Gone Till November," a memoir of his eight months spent in jail after he was found guilty of possessing an illegal firearm.
Recently the actor-rapper Ja Rule was released from state prison only to enter federal custody on the same day. Even though he has been in jail since 2011, Ja Rule has maintained contact with his fans through a series of radio interviews conducted by prison telephone.
As of this writing, police have not pressed any charges against Lil’ Poopy or his father.