Hip-hop music has a contentious relationship with the police and it has for decades. The genre often features lyrics deriding the police, and that’s when it’s not outright talking about violence against officers. As a result, many officers are less than excited about the music.

Can’t imagine why.

Anyway, a photograph surface in Monroeville, PA that has police more than a little concerned after a rapper posed with a firearm while squatting down next to a police car.

Monroeville police are investigating after a rapper released a picture of himself holding guns and kneeling next to one of the department’s patrol cars.

Brennan Brooks-Boyd, known in music circles as “TrippyDoo,” posted the picture on his Facebook page this week with the caption, “(Expletive) the cops.”

Brooks-Boyd said Wednesday evening the image and crude remark were posted to promote a new single he is about to release, “(Expletive) 5-0,” which is a slang reference to police. The Pittsburgh musician said the photo was taken a few days ago in front of an unoccupied police car along Haymaker Road in Monroeville.

“The whole idea was to have a collage with the cop cars,” said Brooks-Boyd, 23, who added that he owns the shotgun and AR-15 used in the photo. “It’s just about gun control and not being able to exercise freedom of speech. The fact that I’m black and holding a gun with a cop car behind me is blowing people’s minds right now.

“I don’t think that should be the biggest thing pointed out in that photo.”

I get where Brooks-Boyd is coming from. I really do.

https://www.facebook.com/trippydoo/photos/a.1741049486198791.1073741829.1418117585158651/1755751178061955/?type=3&permPage=1

However, I suspect that if I posted that same photo with me next to the police car, I’d get a knock on my door as well.

Further, it wasn’t all that long ago when police were being gunned down because of the perception they were just going around killing innocent black folks all the time.

Now, if this was just some kind of artistic expression, then nothing should come of it. Assuming, of course, that no laws were broken. If so, well…

Let’s be clear, though. It’s probably not ever a good idea to pose with your firearms in a way that might be construed as a threat against the police or anyone else. That includes crouching down next to their vehicle with a couple of guns. Flying the one-finger wave is probably not the best idea, either.

While it’s a free country and you have a right to express yourself, but that doesn’t mean all forms of expression a wise.

This is especially true if the police might believe you’re threatening them, and I can get why they would. After all, we have a rapper flipping the bird next to a police car with a couple of weapons. Sorry, but seeing it as a threat is pretty easy to do.

Now, does that mean old TrippyDoo here deserves to go to prison? Not necessarily.

However, it should serve as an object lesson in understanding that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should do that something.