Since his release from prison in April, Meek Mill has been reintroducing himself to the public eye. On this week’s James McAvoy-hosted episode, he made his Saturday Night Live debut with a medley of songs from his 2018 album Championships.
The Philadelphia rapper kicked off his appearance with a mesmerizing performance of the Drake-featured hit “Going Bad” alongside a duo of dancers in catsuits. He was then joined onstage by Fabolous, who assists on the track for “Uptown Vibes.”
Meek Mill returned to the SNL stage later in the episode for the downtempo “Championships,” which is riddled with the rapper’s battle with adversity with the criminal justice system.
Meek Mill’s SNL debut might have come earlier if not for his ongoing legal battles. In 2017, the rapper was arrested for a probation violation and sentenced to 2-to-4 years in prison, but he was released in April 2018 with a court order because of inconsistencies in the testimony that first got him incarcerated at 19-years-old.
The hip hop icon is continuing his efforts in criminal justice reform, launching the Reform Alliance on January 23rd with Jay-Z: a new initiative that aims to transform the “illogical laws that make no sense.” With $50 million contributions from Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 76ers owner Michael Rubin, the Reform Alliance “aims to reduce the number of people affected by parole and probation law by 1 million over the next five years.”