Meek Mill Tells 'Dateline' He's a Sacrifice for a Better Cause

On Sunday (May 6), NBC aired the first in-depth sit-down interview with Meek Mill since his release from prison. During the interview with Lester Holt, the rapper admits his status as a celebrity helped his case become important but now that's he's free, he will use his voice to help other minorities who are going through similar situations.

"This is the same thing that thousands of other minorities are going through on a daily basis. They just don't have the platform to have anybody speak on their behalf," Meek said. "Now they do, at this point. I feel like I'm the sacrifice for a better cause."

With many advocates now seeing the #FreekMeekMill movement as a possible turning point in the fight to reform the justice system and end mass incarceration, the Wins & Losses rapper would like to see the hashtag changed to something new. "Let's retire the free Meek Mill hashtag and make it hashtag justice reform," Meek said.

During the Dateline special, Holt also spoke with the Philadelphia artist's lawyer, Jordan Siev, who says the system failed Meek. "The system has really failed him at every step of the way and it has really set him up for a situation where he was destined to fail and he was destined to be thrown back in jail based on minor technical violations."

Although Meek is now free, the rapper says he still doesn't truly feel free and hasn't felt free since he caught the case at 19 years old. "And me, I just, I pray," he said. I believe God is my first lawyer. I always believed that. I don't feel free at all."

While the rapper remains on bail and has a hearing scheduled for June, his lawyer Joe Tacopina believes he won't be serving anymore time. "We're not worried that this case is ever going to stand because the prosecutor and the defense both agree the case needs to be dismissed for constitutional violations and overturned," the attorney said. "He's never going back to jail."

Check out a clip of Meek Mill's interview with Dateline below.

See Photos of Meek Mill's Different Looks Over the Years