Whether it was due to a wild night out or finding more than just the aux cord in the car console, some rapper mugshots will be forever iconic. It’s almost a rite of passage for the genre of artists known not to be the most law-abiding citizens.
Online, a rapper can create and share whatever persona they want, from the vamp head honcho like Playboi Carti to the toxic king your girl’s in love with (think: Jeremy Meeks in 2014 going from mugshot to model).
However, a mugshot peels away any facade a person may be putting up and shows them at their most raw and often comedic selves—it also makes for a pretty great meme. Here is our list of the top ten rapper mugshots throughout the years, including some you’ve probably forgotten about.
50 Cent: The What Up Gangsta Shot
50 Cent’s mugshot from 1994.
50 Cent is never fully dressed without his signature scowl. The forever Internet troll was arrested on drug charges in 1994 after accidentally selling crack cocaine to an undercover cop. Then, when later searching his home, cops found more crack cocaine as well as heroin.
He ended up joining the SHOCK program (like an extreme boot camp for first-time non-violent offenders), and upon completion, he was introduced to Jam Master Jay, who set him on the path to becoming the hip-hop mogul he is today.
The first to turn a mugshot into merch, 50 leaned into the humor of his mugshot and released it as a T-shirt for the 20th anniversary of Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Future: The Pluto Model Moment
Future’s mugshot from 2004.
This 2004 mugshot, taken when Future was just twenty years old, gave Paris Fashion Week models a run for their money. At the time, he still went by his govey name, Nayvadius Wilburn, and was arrested for contempt of court and theft by receiving stolen property. The picture was rediscovered last year, and women began thirsting for the rapper all over again.
“I still can’t believe that this is an actual mugshot and not a modeling picture,” TikTok user zeinaboucoulibaly said in a video about the picture. If Pluto didn’t end up becoming Future Hendrix the rapper, he could have had a promising modeling career and been the first to turn a mugshot into a headshot long before Jeremy Meeks.
Tyler, the Creator: IGOR Caught on Camera
Tyler, the Creator’s mugshot from 2014.
Known for making fun of his fans, Tyler the Creator got a taste of his own medicine after getting in trouble with the law in 2014. He was arrested at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after being charged with starting a riot at that year’s SXSW Festival.
His mugshot became such a pop culture phenomenon, being photoshopped into everything from Tyler, the Explorer, to Playboi, the Creator, that he had to address it later in an interview. “I go to the airport two days later, and cops show up like, ‘Hey, come here,’ and put me in handcuffs, and I’m oblivious to, like, why am I in handcuffs?”
His shock and confusion, which he said was shared by cops at the station when they were booking him, can be seen in his mugshot and is arguably the factor that made it go viral. Looking like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, it’s one of Tyler’s best memes.
XXXTentacion: The “Look At Me!” Shot
This mugshot was easily thousands of high school students’ Twitter profile pictures in the 2010s. Although XXXTentacion had more than one run-in with the law, producing several mugshots, his mugshot from his October 2016 arrest is his most iconic. Reddit u/Th3Marauder called it “unironically one of my favorite photos of all time.”
Unfortunately, the details of that particular arrest are more grim than the mean mug X dons in the mugshot. He was arrested for charges including domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment against his ex-girlfriend. Since he died in 2018, fans often use this photo to remember him fondly and pay tribute to the legacy he left behind with his music.
Chief Keef: The Sizzurp Photoshoot
Chief Keef’s mugshot from 2017.
Sosa took the Miami turn-up a little bit too seriously in 2017. He was arrested in Miami Beach and charged with a DUI after cops found him with a “cup filled with a syrupy liquid known as sizzurp, which is also known as ‘lean’ or ‘purple drank’” in tow.
During their search, some greenery was also found, leading to others in Chief Keef’s crew getting arrested. It was later found that Sosa was off more than just sizzurp and Mary Jane. His urine test revealed he had drugs, including codeine and morphine, in his system—and based on the unseriousness of his mugshot, it looks like he was ready for more.
YNW Melly: The Menace Shot
YNW Melly’s mugshot from 2019.
This mugshot has become synonymous with the nickname “Melly the Menace.” In 2019, YNW Melly and rapper YNW Bortlen were charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing two of their friends. Unironically, his most popular song to date is “Murder On My Mind,” released in 2018.
The above mugshot was from a 2019 arrest for possession of marijuana, but it’s arguably more menacing than his mugshot for murder charges and often gets confused with the latter.
The highly publicized nature of his first trial (which ended in a mistrial) and alleged crimes have solidified Melly as a household name in pop culture. Kendrick Lamar even referenced Melly on his Drake diss “euphoria,” saying, “Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish n****, the crown is heavy, huh, I pray they my real friends, if not, I’m YNW Melly.”
NLE Choppa: The Icey Shot
Like the iceman Paul Wall, NLE Choppa’s mouth was lookin’ something like a disco ball. He was arrested in Davie, Florida, in 2021 on multiple charges, including Xanax and marijuana possession, but appeared in good spirits when his mugshot was taken.
He was quickly released, but not before people saw the legendary shot and compared it to a high school senior yearbook flick, cheesin’ for the camera.
Young Thug: The “Free Jeffrey” Shot
Free Thugga till it’s backwards. Although Young Thug has a rap sheet longer than most artists on this list, his most famous mugshot is from his May 2022 arrest for RICO charges. Unlike the brevity of his song “Take It To Trial,” Thug has remained behind bars since that arrest, and his RICO trial is shaping up to be one of the longest (and weirdest) in Atlanta, Georgia history.
His arrest has been a wake-up call for fans and the music industry as a whole, calling into question the ethics of using rap lyrics as evidence in court. Thug’s mugshot is more historic than meme-worthy. It’s often used alongside declarations of support to #FreeThugga, recognizing his musical excellence rather than his criminal allegations.
Playboi Carti: The Ready to Rage Shot
Playboi Carti looked like he was playing a game of chicken with the camera in his 2023 mugshot. He was arrested for allegedly choking his pregnant girlfriend at the time, and the official charge was felony aggravated assault. The mugshot still went viral despite the crime due to Carti’s loyal fanbase (for better or for worse) and the “album cover” potential of the picture, joking that it’ll be used in 2050 when he drops his next project.
Travis Scott: The Miami Meme
Travis Scott’s mugshot from 2024.
Just like Sosa, Travis Scott leaned a bit too hard into his rager persona while partying in Miami in June of 2024. He was arrested for public intoxication after causing a scene outside a yacht. When the cops asked if he was intoxicated, he said, “It’s Miami,” making the incident even more meme-worthy.
Scott joined in on the joke when his mugshot began to circulate. He shared fan edits on his IG and even sold Cactus Jack merch with his mugshot and Miami slogan, donating a portion of the sales to his Cactus Jack Foundation.
