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Rapper Mystikal sentenced to 20 years in
Louisiana rape case
[June 17, 2026]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The rapper Mystikal, who received multiple
Grammy nominations in the early 2000s, will serve 20 years in prison for
raping a woman at his Louisiana home in 2022.
Mystikal, whose given name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, 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.
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Rapper Mystikal poses for a portrait in Baton Rouge, La., Jan. 22, 2021.
(AP Photo/Rusty Costanza, File) |
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Days before his Tuesday sentencing hearing, he asked a judge to
withdraw his guilty plea, saying he “did not have sufficient
opportunity to fully consider the consequences," according to
ABC affiliate WBRZ.
The victim spoke in court before sentencing and asked the judge
to give Mystikal the maximum sentence, WBRZ reported. She
reportedly said the rapper had punched her, choked her, pulled
out her braids and forcibly raped her at his home in
Prairieville, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Baton Rouge.
“If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence,” he said in
response, according to the local TV station.
A lawyer for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
Mystikal has been held without bond at the Ascension Parish Jail
since his arrest in 2022.
The Louisiana rapper rose to national recognition in the 1990s
and is known for his 2000 hit “Shake Ya A(asterisk)(asterisk),”
which was nominated for a Grammy in the best rap solo
performance category.
In 2003, he pleaded guilty to sexual battery and was sentenced
to six years in prison. That same year he was a Grammy nominee
in two categories: best rap album for “Tarantula” and best male
rap solo performance for his single “Bouncin’ Back (Bumpin’ Me
Against The Wall).”
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