US rapper Mystikal pleads guilty to rape charge

Mystikal pleaded guilty on Tuesday to third-degree rape in a Louisiana court, bringing a major Development in a criminal case that led to his arrest in 2022.

The rapper, whose real name is Michael Tyler, entered the guilty plea at a state courthouse outside Baton Rouge. According to reports from local outlets WBRZ, the 55-year-old now faces a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Tyler had initially been charged with several more serious crimes, including first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery and false imprisonment. He had previously pleaded not guilty to those charges.

However, the guilty plea was reportedly part of a negotiated agreement that significantly reduced the case’s severity. If the rapper had been convicted on the original first-degree rape charge, he could have faced mandatory life imprisonment.

The case centers on allegations made by a woman who told investigators that Tyler assaulted her and prevented her from leaving. According to authorities, the victim claimed he raped her, beat her and choked her during the incident. She also told investigators that he took her phone and car keys so she could not escape and later forced her to send him money through the digital payment service Cash App.

Tyler’s sentencing hearing has tentatively been scheduled for June, several months after the plea was entered and shortly before the case was originally expected to go to trial on March 30.

Mystikal rose to international fame in 2000 with the hit single Shake Ya Ass, which became one of the defining rap tracks of the early 2000s. The song gained further pop culture attention with a cameo appearance in the film About a Boy starring Hugh Grant, Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult.

During the height of his career, Mystikal also earned two Grammy nominations and saw one of his albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Despite his musical success, Tyler’s career has been repeatedly overshadowed by legal troubles. In 2004, he was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault and extortion in a case involving his hairstylist. That conviction also required him to register as a sex offender.

He faced additional legal issues over the years, including a 2012 arrest that led to three months in jail on a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge. In 2017, Tyler was also charged with rape and kidnapping in another case, though prosecutors later dropped those charges.

The latest plea deal marks the most recent chapter in a long series of legal battles surrounding the rapper, whose sentencing this summer will determine how much time he ultimately serves.

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