A rapper known as Wais P the Pimp, who contributed to Jay-Z tracks in the 90s, was charged with promoting prostitution on Thursday, police said.
Malcolm Byer, 41, of Teaneck, N.J., who is better known by his rap alias, was arrested on Wednesday after appearing in Manhattan Supreme Court on a DWI charges, law enforcement sources said.
Byer grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and was part of the New York City hip hop scene in the 1990s, according to a bio on his Facebook page.
The rapper dubbed his musical style as “pimp hop” and has said it explores the pimp lifestyle. He has released several tracks in recent years.
“I’ll have you turning more tricks, than Cirque du Soleil is, or Blue Man group, only difference is, you got to bring me back that loot,” Byer rapped on the 2010 song “You See It.”
The rapper, featured on the song “If I Should Die” on Jay-Z’s 1998 album “Vol 2: Hard Knock Life,” was the fourth person arrested since December 2013 in a joint operation between the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the NYPD targeting sex trafficking in Midtown.
The operation, known as the “Bright Lights, Big City,” builds cases on suspects using wire taps and financial records, officials said.
The rapper “advanced and profited from prostitution by managing, supervising, controlling, and owning” a prostitution enterprise with two or more prostitutes, according to court papers.
Byer was held without bail after being arraigned at Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday, according to the DA’s office.
He has three prior arrests for DWI, as well as arrests for assault and resisting arrest, police said.
