California IN BRIEF : VALLEJO : Rap Singer Selling Jailhouse Lament

Rap singer Andre Hicks, a 22-year-old robbery suspect in jail on robbery charges, has sold about 25,000 copies of a rap-style jailhouse lament, according to his producer. Much of the tape is devoted to X-rated jabs at the Vallejo Police Department. “They try to keep me down, keep me in a ditch, but the only thing they doin’ is makin’ me rich,” one line goes. Hicks, known professionally as Mac Dre, said police have been persecuting him for years. Officers, however, said he has an extensive arrest record on charges ranging from public intoxication to weapons possession. In March, police arrested Hicks and two other men who were driving from Fresno to Vallejo during what investigators said was a foiled robbery attempt. Hicks said he was in Fresno visiting female fans.