By Jaia Thomas
The second track on Lupe Fiasco‘s 2007 album, The Cool, is a short ditty titled, “Free Chilly.” The lyrics state -
“If we can break down these walls to set you free/we would, cause we out here/And we miss you/ If we could build a ladder that tall to come and see you/ We would cause we down here.”
Few may know that the song refers to Lupe’s longtime Chicago associate and mentor, Charles ‘Chilly’ Patton, currently serving a 44 year prison sentence.
In 2003, Charles Patton and his wife, Inita Patton were charged with heroin possession. They were also charged with overseeing and orchestrating a drug enterprise in ‘Chicago that would have allegedly pumped more than 900 grams of heroin into the arms of addicts. During Patton’s 2007 trial, Lupe provided testimony in Patton’s defense. But the testimony wasn’t sufficient for a jury to exonerate Patton of the charges. He was found guilty and sentenced to 44 years in prison. It is also worth noting that during Patton’s trial, prosecutors unsuccessfully attempted to connect Patton’s drug schemes to Lupe’s 1st and 15th Records (where Patton served as a partner).
Patton’s estranged wife, Inita Patton has now filed a lawsuit against Lupe claiming that the rapper conspired with Patton to allocate approximately $9 million into various bank accounts in an attempt to keep her from cashing in on any of it during their divorce proceedings. Lupe’s attorney claims that charges are unfounded and that there are “no secret accounts nor illicit instructions.” Unless Inita Patton has direct evidence of these alleged bank accounts and transactions, the likelihood of her prevailing on her claim is almost nil.
Jaia Thomas is a Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment attorney. Her multi-faceted practice covers all segments of the entertainment industry, including: television, film, music and new media. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she is a graduate of Colgate University (BA), The George Washington University Law School and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. For more information: www.jathomaslaw.com or @jaiathomaslaw.
