Oschino, a former Roc-A-Fella artist, has openly criticized JAY-Z for not standing by Beanie Sigel during his attempted murder trial in the mid-2000s. The State Property member aired his grievances in a recent interview with Say Cheese, citing a specific moment in court that left him baffled by JAY-Z’s actions.
Oschino recalled attending court for Beanie Sigel, who was facing charges for allegedly shooting someone. According to Oschino, JAY-Z took the stand but declined to take responsibility for Sigel when asked by the judge. “I came to court for Beanie when he allegedly shot somebody,” Oschino stated. “JAY-Z got on the stand and they said, ‘Are you gonna be responsible for him if we let him go?’ JAY-Z said, ‘No.’ I was there. This ain’t hearsay; this was me in the courtroom.”
Oschino continued expressing his bewilderment: “I was just thinking, ‘What did he come to court for then?’ If I got a homie and all I gotta say is, ‘I’m responsible for him for him to get out,’ I’m saying it every time… The judge was trying to give him an out. He said, ‘No.’ And nobody didn’t say nothing, nobody flinched. Mind you, I’m a jail n-gga so I’m looking around like, ‘Nobody not saying nothing?!’ Like it was normal… Maybe I’m too street in my thinking and maybe he was being more responsible, but I was thinking, ‘Man, these boys is different.'”
Beanie Sigel was initially charged with attempted murder in July 2003 for allegedly firing six shots at a man during an argument outside a Philadelphia bar. One bullet hit the victim in the foot and another struck his stomach. The first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision after five days of deliberation. It was during this trial that JAY-Z testified.
In 2005, Beanie Sigel was retried and eventually acquitted of all charges. Sigel’s lawyer, Fortunato N. Perri Jr., commented on the verdict, saying, “I think the jury flat-out didn’t believe the victim and the eyewitness. They thought they were lying, that they put a story together, to ultimately end up in a payday for themselves.”
Beanie Sigel has also spoken about JAY-Z’s actions during the trial, admitting it damaged their relationship. On an episode of Drink Champs in 2021, Sigel expressed his hurt feelings: “I’ve never been crushed like that ever in my life. ‘Cause I’m like, ‘Damn, this is my man’… That fucked me up. That took away a lot of shit that I thought we had. Like, that’s big bro.” Despite this, Sigel acknowledged that JAY-Z may have had his reasons: “I believe at that time, Jay was thinking that I was unpredictable. I was bugging. I know I was out of pocket. I was uncontrollable.”
The incident has clearly left a lasting impact on Beanie Sigel and his relationship with JAY-Z. While JAY-Z’s reasons may have been rooted in caution, the decision not to vouch for Sigel during his trial remains a point of contention for those involved.
