Rapper Mystikal jailed 20 years for rape

Mystikal, the US rapper whose legal name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a woman at his Louisiana home in 2022.

The once-celebrated 1990s hip-hop star, known for the hit ‘Shake Ya A**,’ pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in March with a sentencing cap of 20 years, five years less than the maximum punishment for the crime.

His plea deal reduced the charge from first-degree rape, which carries an automatic life sentence.

However days before the sentencing, Mystikal moved to withdraw his plea, arguing that he had been under “significant emotional distress” and “substantial pressure” at the time of the decision. He claimed he lacked enough time to grasp the consequences.

The court dismissed the motion.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the victim, who has remained anonymous, delivered a powerful statement imploring the judge for the maximum penalty.

She detailed a harrowing attack, testifying that Tyler punched her, strangled her, forcibly ripped out her braids, and raped her.

She also accused him of confiscating her phone and car keys to trap her inside the home, and of using her device to transfer money to himself before finally releasing her.

Mystikal responded, saying: “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence”. He has been held without bond at the Ascension Parish jail since his arrest in 2022.

This is not Mystikal’s first brush with serious legal trouble. The Louisiana rapper, who rose to national recognition in the 1990s, was also charged in 2017 with rape and kidnapping, and spent 18 months in jail before the case was dropped.(TheCable)