Catch A Case | Word Stories - Slang City

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catch a case Vintage courtroom scene photo credit: "Courtroom" by John Robertson (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Definition: (verb phrase) to be arrested and required to go to court

Example: Sid lost his job as a security guard at the candy factory when he caught a case for organizing an illegal chocolate wrestling competition.

Quote:

“I just handle my business. People get locked up every day. I'm innocent. I caught a case, and it will be resolved in my favor, I assure you, but in the meantime we have a CD to get out.”
-Rapper Natris G

Getting in trouble with the law used to be the end of a career, but in hip hop, it can be a plus, offering free publicity and street credibility. Lil Kim, for example, found time this week to film a small role in the movie Soulful before reporting to prison for her perjury conviction.

Many famous rappers, including Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, have become more successful after time in prison. In fact, in a 1996 song called 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, Tupac and Snoop advertised their legal problems, referring to themselves as “Two multimillionaire motherfu**ers catchin’ cases.”

The most extreme example is that of rapper Shyne, who actually recorded some of the CD Godfather Buried Alive over a pay phone while doing a bid (serving time in prison). He was arrested for a 1999 nightclub shooting that was big news because it also involved P. Diddy and his then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. While Diddy’s former protégée may be behind bars for ten years, it’s not all bad. The subsequent media attention boosted Shyne’s tough guy reputation enough to get him a $3 million dollar record deal.

A. C. Kemp | September 7, 2005

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