Meek Mill: the American rapper gets his new trial after 11 years

US rapper Meek Mill has been granted a new trial on drug and weapons charges dating back to his teens after a long legal battle.

In Pennsylvania, three judges felt that his trial in 2008 had credibility issues.

The rapper, who was jailed in 2017 for a minor probation violation, is now campaigning for a criminal justice reform.

He has been supported by celebrities and activists who claim that the system treats minorities with more severity.

Jay-Z and the owners of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia 76ers, Robert Kraft and Michael Rubin, have partnered with Meek Mill to create the Alliance for Reform, intended to help people "caught in the system" .

Meek Mill, whose first name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, said the last 11 years had been "mentally and emotionally stimulating," but that it was "ecstatic to see justice prevail".

What is it?

The Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled Wednesday that Meek Mill had "the right to be tried before an impartial judge … because the trial judge heard extremely damning evidence in the first trial."

The only witness in the first trial was an officer of the now discredited anti-drug squad who is no longer part of the Philadelphia forces.

He was sentenced in 2009 to 11-23 months imprisonment in the county, but was released conditionally after five months and was given a ten-year probationary period.

Wednesday's decision of the court means that prosecutors must now decide to hold a new trial or to dismiss the case.

How did he start campaigning for justice reform?

While he was on parole, he began to make himself known nationwide as a rapper, signing on the Rick Ross label and publishing a series of extremely successful mixtapes. Before long, he was an artist selling platinum.

But he was arrested in August 2017 for reckless driving while driving an all-terrain bike while shooting a video clip.

Although the charges were later withdrawn, a judge ruled that his arrest was a violation of his probation. He was sentenced to four years in prison in November, causing an outcry from Jay-Z, Beyonce and others who had campaigned to release him.

He was released five months after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted him bail.

His group, the Reform Alliance, said his goal was to "dramatically reduce the number of people unfairly under the control of the criminal justice system, starting with probation and parole."