Rapper Mystikal sentenced to 20 years for third-degree rape in Louisiana
Grammy-nominated rapper Mystikal was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for the third-degree rape of a woman at his Louisiana home in 2022. The victim told the court he punched, choked and detained her before raping her, and urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
The sentencing
On Tuesday, a Louisiana judge sentenced rapper Mystikal to 20 years in prison for the third-degree rape of a woman in 2022. The term is the maximum possible for the charge, and the court made clear that probation would not be an option.
The 2022 assault
The victim testified that Mystikal punched her, choked her, ripped out her braids, and raped her inside his home in Prairieville, near Baton Rouge. She said he took her phone and car keys to prevent her from leaving and used her phone to transfer money to himself before releasing her. She asked the court to impose the heaviest sentence.
A last-minute challenge
Mystikal had originally faced a first-degree rape charge, which carries a mandatory life sentence in Louisiana. In March 2026 he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to third-degree rape in exchange for a cap of 20 years. Days before sentencing, his lawyer filed to withdraw the guilty plea, arguing that Mystikal had not had enough time to fully consider the consequences; the judge denied the motion.
If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence.
His attorney had also argued that the rapper was under significant emotional distress.
A pattern of offences
Mystikal’s legal troubles stretch back two decades. In 2003 he pleaded guilty to sexual battery and extortion and was sentenced to six years in prison, after which he was required to register as a sex offender. In 2012 he served three months for domestic abuse. In 2017 he was charged with rape and kidnapping and spent 18 months in jail before prosecutors dropped the case in 2020.
- Pleads guilty to sexual battery and extortion; sentenced to six years
- Jailed for three months for domestic abuse
- Charged with rape and kidnapping; spends 18 months in jail before charges dropped in December 2020
- Arrested for assault and rape at his Prairieville home
- Pleads guilty to third-degree rape in a deal that caps sentence at 20 years
- Sentenced to 20 years in prison; court rejects his attempt to withdraw guilty plea
From Grammy stage to prison cell
Mystikal rose to fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the hit single “Shake Ya Ass” and the album Let’s Get Ready, which reached No. 1 on the US chart. He earned multiple Grammy nominations, including for Best Rap Solo Performance. His output diminished after his first conviction; his last studio album, Tarantula, was released in 2001.
