Toronto rapper 'Top5' brags about time in jail, thanks guards he says gave him cellphones
More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.
Two days after the charges were stayed, Ali, who goes by the stage name ‘Top5’ joined an online live stream where he boasted about his time in jail.
“I had a knife in jail. I had a cheeseburger in jail. I had a phone in jail,” Ali said. He went on to thank the correctional officers, saying, “Shoutout to the COs who took care of me and gave me the phones.”
In 2023, Ali used one of those cellphones to record a music video while in custody at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ont, claiming he paid someone $10,000 to get it.
Ali was serving time at the facility, which he described as the “Four Seasons” in another interview, while awaiting trial in the shooting death of Hashim Omar Hashi, a 20-year-old student who police say had no criminal ties.
While contraband is not uncommon behind bars, Ontario’s solicitor general said it launched a full investigation into the incident last June.
More than a year later, the office tells CTV News Toronto, “The ministry does not comment on internal investigations but can confirm that the investigation has concluded, and all appropriate action has been taken.”
Former homicide detective Mark Mendelson explains that while it’s routine for the ministry not to divulge the outcome of an investigation, he says these system flaws do happen, particularly in the provincial system because of how transient it is.
“It happens through many different modes of transport into the system from the correctional officers at the particular jail to the courthouse to the security in the courthouse to private meetings with their counsel,” Mendelson said.
Since his release, Ali has appeared on multiple platforms threatening to incite violence. However, the line is often blurred between what rappers say being taken as fact versus artistic expression.
Mendelson says, “We saw what happened in court with this particular gentleman where certain evidence was not allowed in. That doesn’t mean the end of investigation at all, that means they’re going to continue on and if this man happens to inject himself back into the investigation again then so be it.”
Although the charges against Ali were stayed, they could still be revived by the Crown at a later date. Meanwhile, Toronto police are not commenting on the investigation into Hashi’s death as it remains ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former finance minister Bill Morneau questions if it's the 'right time' for emissions cap following Trump re-election
Following the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump, former finance minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian government should re-evaluate the timing of some cornerstone Liberal policies.
Tornado touched down Sunday in Fergus, Ont., experts confirm
A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Candlelight vigil held for Cobalt teen recovering in hospital after being attacked, ex-boyfriend charged with attempted murder
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
'I get goosebumps': Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Across Canada, dignitaries marked Remembrance Day by laying wreaths at ceremonies, school children sang in the late fall chill and veterans recalled the horrors of battle.
Man who allegedly staged bear attack arrested for murder in stolen identity scheme
A man accused of killing a person and staging it as a fatal bear attack in Tennessee was taken into custody in South Carolina over the weekend on murder charges, in what authorities described as a plot to steal the victim’s identity.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Biden and Harris appear together for the first time since she lost the election to Trump
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her U.S. selection loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
What to know about avian flu after B.C. case, from transmission to symptoms
A B.C. teen has a suspected case of H5N1 avian flu — the first known human to acquire the virus in Canada.