Hip Hop Police is an internet-based talk show published on YouTube and Spotify aligned with the law enforcement reform oriented “Start Snitching” movement created by Troi “Star” Torain, a libertarian-leaning media personality and president of the Snitch Network.
Background
In the summer of 2011, during his tenure as “Star” on the Manhattan public access television show “Star and Buc Wild,” Troi Torain, a media personality and libertarian-leaning activist, started the “Start Snitching Movement” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The movement is a nation-wide campaign to encourage individuals to speak to their local police departments about violent crimes affecting their communities. 1 To that end, Torain also started a “Start Snitching” Twitter account and announced plans to develop a related internet show on the digital media platform UStream. 2
Later, in April 2019, Torain founded Snitch Network (registered under the name the Snitch Network Corporation) in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in order to promote community growth while cultivating better relationships between law enforcement professionals and civilians. 3 4 The organization maintains a website featuring a curated selection of links to recent news reports regarding various types of crimes, as well as hotlines, and news agencies. 5
In December 2021, Torain announced his intention to start a new show, Hip Hop Police, and released a short trailer of the first episode on YouTube and Spotify. Along with Torain as host, the show features two recurring panelists, both retired law enforcement professionals from the New York Police Department: Corey Pegues, a former deputy inspector, and the second, who on the show goes by the stage name, “Under Cover,” a former detective. 6
Episodes
The first episode of Hip Hop Police, “Do Police Target Minority Communities?” was uploaded on December 10, 2021. As of late February 2022, the show had released four episodes, each roughly around a half hour in length. Generally, each episode is centered around a discussion related to an issue of law enforcement reform or news in the law enforcement community. Topics have included “Should All Drugs Be Legalized In America” and “NYPD to roll out new Neighborhood Safety Team.” View-counts of the first four episodes on YouTube range from about 12,000 to 36,000. 7
Troi Torain
Troi Torain (also known by his radio personality name, “Star”) is the founder and host of Hip Hop Police as well as the founder and president of the Snitch Network. Prior to his involvement in law enforcement reform, Torain worked variously as an executive in the music industry, pundit, trailer park developer, and radio personality. Largely, however, Torain is known for his “Star” character in connection with “Star & Buc Wild,” a media collaboration between Torain and his half-brother, Timothy Joseph, that has appeared on Manhattan Neighborhood Network Television and HOT97’s radio morning show. 8
References
- Chang, David and Brandon Rook. “Radio Host Snitches to NBC Philly.” NBC Philadelphia 10. July 13, 2021. Accessed February 22, 2022.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/radio-host-snitches-to-nbc-philly/1906991/
- “Chang, David. ‘Start Snitching’ Movement Still Going Strong.” NBC Philadelphia 10. February 6, 2012. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/start-snitching-movement-still-going-strong/2106878/
- “About.” TroiTorain.org. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://troitorain.org/
- “Snitch Network Corporation.” ProPublica. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/821993541
- Homepage. SnitchNetwork.org. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://snitchnetwork.org/
- “Watch the Trailer for Star’s New Series ‘Hip Hop Police’.” OnSmash. December 8, 2021. Accessed February 23, 2022. http://onsmash.com/music/star-hip-hop-police-youtube-trailer-video/
- [1] “Videos.” YouTube: Hip Hop Police. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/c/STARBOYMEDIA/videos
- “About.” TroiTorain.org. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://troitorain.org/