Poppa Fetti found himself behind bars on serious human trafficking charges, turning his dreams of “pimphop” stardom into a legal nightmare that could destroy his life.
Deion Taurence Philip, better known by his rap moniker Poppa Fetti, was arrested on November 4 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, by Maryland State Police and U.S. Marshals.
The 32-year-old New York native now sits in Baltimore County Detention Center without bond, facing sex trafficking of a minor charges alongside his alleged accomplice, Antoine Miles, 57, from Maryland.
This whole mess started back in September when investigators from Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit were running a joint operation with Baltimore County Police and the FBI.
They spotted what looked like a young female being advertised online for sexual acts and tracked her down to a Towson hotel. Turns out she was a critically missing juvenile.
The investigation kept rolling after that first rescue.
When cops finally caught up with Poppa Fetti at that Pennsylvania residence, they found another missing juvenile female who they believe was also a victim of sex trafficking. Two days later, they nabbed Miles at Minneapolis airport. Authorities think there might be more victims out there.
What makes this case particularly wild is how Poppa Fetti was literally broadcasting his intentions on social media. Just last month, on October 3, he posted on Instagram about his musical direction, calling his style “Pimphop.”
“Since I got your attention, I just want to give you a brief introduction to the music that I’ll be putting out, ya dig.. I’m not in the same game or come from the same game you used to listen to, you know, your, Gucci Mane’s and s###. I’m on that Iceberg Slim s###, that Too $hort type s###, that Suga Free type s###. My music is gonna bring you into my world. My books, and it’s off entertainment, but know that it’s all official,” Poppa Fetti said in an IG post on October 3.
The references to Too $hort and Suga Free aren’t random name-drops. These West Coast legends built careers around pimp-themed rap, with Too $hort coming out of Oakland in the ’80s and Suga Free following suit from Los Angeles in the ’90s.
Both artists made their mark with explicit lyrics about street life and the pimp game, though they presented it as entertainment and storytelling rather than real-life instruction manuals.
But Poppa Fetti wasn’t just talking about this lifestyle in his music. He actually wrote and published a book called “OUTFIT” in March 2020.
The book’s description reads: “Fa da Fee ain’t just a slick talking hustler…HE’S A CERTIFIED PIMP! Breaking prostitutes and overcoming obstacles. But can he and his crew make it to the top? Will he beat the statistics or become one? Follow Fa da Fee on his journey through the ghetto streets to the executive suites. Pimpin’ ain’t easy as they say, especially when you strictly live by the code ‘Pimp or Die.’”
His raps, social media posts and the book could now become major pieces of evidence against him.
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