The trapper Baby Gang, who appealed to the Court of Review after the Milan Court of Appeal ordered him to return to prison last April, is asking to return to house arrest. Zaccaria Mouhib was serving two first-degree sentences for robbery and other crimes under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. But according to the judges he had “communicated with an indeterminate number of subjects, publishing photographs on Instagram” in which he “is portrayed holding a gun pointing towards the camera”.
Those images, however, explained the lawyer Niccolò Vecchioni, were linked to the launch of his new album, already at the top of the streaming charts. These were photos that should be “read in light of their symbolic and artistic meaning” and “have the sole purpose of emphasizing the charisma of the Baby Gang trapper” precisely for the release of the album. The lawyer then explained how the trap genre “borrows the use of bloody expressions and images from rap”. And then that profile is not directly managed by Mouhin, but by his manager who takes care of “the communication aspect and the management of social channels”.
For the lawyer assisting the trapper, these are therefore artistic expressions, also in light of the fact that «both the weapon held by Mouhib» and «the bags of marijuana present in the background were mere “copies”, i.e. “props”. “, provided by the video clip production company to make the character more realistic and consistent with the album title”, i.e. “The Evil Angel”.
Furthermore, those photos uploaded to Instagram were taken “on the occasion of the authorizations granted by the judicial authority”, explains the lawyer in the appeal. Even when the trapper was under house arrest. By now Baby Gang, explains his lawyer, is considered “a famous musical artist currently at the height of his success, with five albums published and the signing of contractual agreements with the most important national record companies”.
