Some of the most iconic videos in rap history find artists locked away: think Chuck D in "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," Eazy E in "We Want Eazy," 2Pac in "Cradle to the Grave." And while it's a genre that praises authenticity, it turns out that a clip of the real thing had dire consequences for its creators. Last March, a video titled "South Carolina Inmates Film 1st Ever Music Video In Prison!" made its way to Youtube, and eventually to Worldstar. In it, six men rap, dance and supply live ad-libs for what would frankly be a more-than-serviceable rap single. But according to Buzzfeed, the men who made the clip have received a combined total of nearly 20 years in solitary confinement, all for a six-minute shoot. 

It seems that the South Carolina Department of Corrections has issued five inmates 180 days each in solitary for “disciplinary detention,” while doling out totals of 270 and 360 days respectively to two others for “creating or assisting with a social media site.” But those numbers pale in comparison to the 7,150 days handed out for the use of a contraband cell phone and for the “security threat group” posed by the video. (That phrase, of course, is a euphemism for "gang-related.") Each inmate was also punished by losing years' worth of phone, visitation and canteen privileges, as well as "good time" that had been accrued during their stays. The notation “video from www.worldstarhiphop.com was used as evidence" is found in each disciplinary record. For more information, read the prison documents collected at Buzzfeed.

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