French Rapper MHD Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison After Murder Conviction
French rapper MHD was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of a 2018 gang-related murder.
The “afro trap” rapper born Mohamed Sylla was one of nine men charged in the killing of 23-year-old man named Loic K. On July 5, 2018, a black Mercedes rammed Loic K, after which he was beaten up and stabbed by roughly a dozen men on the streets of Paris.
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While Sylla denied he was at the scene of the assault, surveillance footage and a witness’ cellphone recording ultimately revealed that he was the owner of the black Mercedes. Witnesses also identified MHD by his unique hairstyle and jacket, the BBC reports.
Sylla was arrested and charged with second degree murder in January 2019, just months after the release of his second album 19, which put him on a global stage and received praise from the likes of Drake and Madonna. While under judicial supervision beginning in July 2020, MHD — a former pizza delivery driver who first went viral by pioneering what he called “afro-trap” —recorded his third album Mansa, which was released in July 2021.
“No one cared that this trap variant was not like the others; the reception to ‘Afro Trap Part 1’ was as rapturous in other French cities as it was in MHD’s hometown of Paris,” Rolling Stone said of MHD in a review of 19.
“He followed the first clip with nine sequels. The label proved impossible to resist, and MHD was appointed afro-trap’s commander-in-chief; his self-titled debut album sold over 200,000 copies, a serious number in France. The perennial-international-dabbler Diplo put out an MHD remix package titled Afro Trap.”
After years of delays, Sylla and his co-defendants’ murder trial began this month in Paris, with the rapper and five other men found guilty earlier this week. Three of the co-defendants were acquitted.
“From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence in this case and I will continue to maintain my innocence,” Sylla told the court prior to sentencing.
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