New Orleans rapper Dee-1 is turning a tense roadside encounter into a pointed commentary on racial profiling and hip-hop stereotypes. On September 24, the rapper, born David Augustine Jr., shared a viral Instagram video documenting a stop by the North Carolina Highway Patrol, where officers searched his rental vehicle for narcotics during his ongoing Hipocritical Hop Tour.
According to Dee-1, troopers appeared convinced they would uncover drugs. Instead, they found what he called “just a man of God on tour.”
In the clip, Dee-1 is heard questioning the officers’ assumptions after one asked if he was a “dope dealer.” He pointed to the items in his possession: merchandise that included a children’s book he authored and hoodies he sells on the road.
“But he asked me if I’m a dope dealer, bro. Like, literally,” Dee-1 told viewers. “And you can see what it says on the top. That’s my children’s book. That I, uh… Yes sir. That’s my hoodies I was telling you about.”
The patrol officers defended the search, citing a narcotics dog’s reaction to the vehicle. “When you’re driving a car and a narcotics odor gets on the car, and the K-9 hits on the car, that’s what led to the car being searched,” one officer explained in the footage.
The officer added that rental cars are often used to transport drugs: “That thing could have had 100 kilos in it the day before you picked it up.”
Dee-1’s Vehicle Searched For Narcotics By North Carolina Highway Patrol
Dee-1 remained composed throughout, ultimately concluding the officers “Just knew they found some dope. Nope. Just a man of God on tour, right now.”
He reiterated in his caption that he has never used or sold drugs in his life. “Thank God for another day,” he wrote, noting that the incident would appear in a forthcoming documentary.
The moment underscored the challenges faced by rappers who seek to distance themselves from the genre’s associations with crime. Dee-1, who has long branded himself as a faith-driven, socially conscious artist, has spent years positioning his career as an alternative to the glorification of drugs and violence in mainstream hip-hop.
Rather than escalating the encounter, the rapper used it as an opportunity to spotlight broader systemic issues. By sharing the video, he reframed the search as evidence of both the stereotypes imposed on Black men and the lingering suspicions hip-hop artists often face from law enforcement.
For Dee-1, the stop was more than an inconvenience—it became a parable of resilience and integrity. “They just knew they found some dope,” he repeated. “Wait till y’all see the documentary.”
As his Hipocritical Hop Tour continues, Dee-1 has leaned into the incident as both a personal testimony and a cultural critique. In turning suspicion into transparency, he’s asserting not just his innocence, but also his vision of what hip-hop can be: a platform rooted in accountability, faith, and truth-telling.
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