A Rapper Turned His Photo From The Capitol Riot Into An Album Cover, Faces Federal Charges
After rapper Antionne DeShaun Brodnax sat on a U.S. Capitol Police SWAT truck during the Jan. 6 insurrection inside Washington, D.C, he turned the image into the cover of his new album The Capital. Now, he’s facing federal charges.
According to The Washington Post, Brodnax who goes by Bugzie the Don in the music industry, told investigators that he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but claimed that was not a part of the riot but was only in Washington to shoot a music video. He also states that he entered the building to take photos and videos, court documents report.
His album The Capital is available on Spotify and Apple Music. It features the tracks, “The Capital Skit” and “The Capitol Interview Skit, Pt. 2.”
“Brodnax followed the crowd to the United States Capitol Building and entered the building after United States Capitol Police moved the gates that blockaded the door,” an affidavit said.
The affidavit also notes that the rapper made his way “peacefully” into the building and spent approximately forty minutes inside taking “pictures and videos of the architecture.”
However, investigators have a different account of his time in the Capitol and arrested Brodnax on March 11. Video footage shows Brodnax inside the National Statuary Hall asking an unidentified woman to take a photo of him sitting on the base of the statue of Norman Borlaug, an agronomist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.
A tweet also surfaced and included a screen recording of a CNN live stream on Jan 6. that showed the rapper in the Capitol which identified him by @bugziethedon, his Twitter handle. A screenshot of a since-deleted Instagram post on the rapper’s account also showed him on the Borlaug statue.
He is facing four federal charges including disorderly conduct and unlawful entry. His attorney is attempting to block search warrants on Brodnax’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, saying that Brodnax’s constitutional rights are being violated.
