Glamorizing Imprisoned Rapper Is Offensive

So convicted felon Jamal Barrow signs a lucrative record contract from his prison cell (“Rapper Has Record, Now May Have Deal,” April 16). “Shyne,” as he is known, is serving 10 years for assault in a shooting outside a New York nightclub.

You note that “executives prize acts with the built-in street credibility that comes from hardscrabble backgrounds and run-ins with the law.”

Executives at Def Jam Records said that Barrow’s stature had increased since his conviction and that they expected enormous demand for his new label, which they may aptly name Gangland Records.

That anyone should shower praise, business deals or anything other than pity on an individual in Barrow’s situation is a sad statement on American society.

That record companies should continue to glamorize felons and other street thugs is pathetic.

Brendan Morrissey

Manhattan Beach