Philadelphia City Council honors Meek Mill, designates "Meek Mill Weekend"

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - Hold up wait a minute, y'all thought he was finished?

Just when it seemed like Philadelphia rap icon Meek Mill had it all, Philadelphia City Council announced that March 15-17 will be designated as "Meek Mill Weekend."

Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street and City Council President Darrell Clarke made the designation official during a press conference on Thursday morning.

Mill, whose "The Motivation" tour has two shows at The Met this Friday and Saturday, is being honored for his contributions as a musician and a criminal justice reform advocate.

The mastermind behind debut album "Dreams and Nightmares" spent six months in prison from the beginning of Nov. 2017 to April 2018 after authorities found him in violation of his parole.

"I'm trying to fight for the young kids who I've spent time with and sat in prison with for not even committing crime," said Mill during a press conference.

The kids that Mill refers to are incarcerated young adults and minors that were serving time alongside him during his controversial sentence.

About 2.2 million people in the U.S. are incarcerated, and about 4.5 million are on probation or parole, according to government statistics.

In the aftermath of his incarceration, Mill partnered with the City of Philadelphia, PUMA, and Go Puff to spur initiatives that helped the Philadelphia community renovate basketball courts and give toys to children near the holidays.

The 31-year-old artist recently teamed up with fellow rapper Jay-Z and Patriots owner Robert Kraft to create Project Reform.

This initiative was established as a call for action against racial inequality in the criminal justice system.

At the time that Project Reform was announced Mill said, "If you thought my case was unfair, there are millions of others dealing with worse situations and caught up in the system without committing crimes."