Troy Ave Prepares To Serve Prison Sentence Over 2016 Shooting
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On Friday (Feb. 9), Troy Ave turned himself in to begin his prison sentence stemming from the 2016 Irving Plaza shooting. The New York City rapper posted a video to his Instagram, explaining to his fans what he was about to do. Ave expressed that they probably “wouldn’t see [him] for a while.” The caption didn’t provide much more detail into the situation other than the plea to “#FreeTroyAve” with a prayer emoji.
“About to run up in the court, you might not see me for a while, but just know the streets is a myth,” he said, seemingly holding back tears in the brief clip. “Somebody shot at me. Instead of laying down and dying, I’d have been a hero, a martyr. I take the gun and bust back. There you have it, here go the consequences. We don’t cry over spilt milk. You take the lemons and you make lemonade. Y’all keep supporting and keep running it. And send prayers; prayers count more than anything… I’m up out of here.”
In a recent episode of his podcast, The Facto Show, Troy spoke about his current prison sentence. He maintained that he is innocent and only shot back to defend himself. Troy stated that he’d “rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.” The rapper said he’s going to stay away from trying to be the toughest person in jail. Ave also expressed that he intends to keep to himself while doing his time.
“Because of New York’s self-defense laws, I probably gotta be away from my kids and my loved ones and my businesses and my employees and the life that I built for myself.
“I’m not tryna win the ‘toughest ni**a in jail’ competition.’ I just want to be the richest ni**a. I’m a play dominoes, do my push-ups, read some books and take some time to recharge the battery… When you go to prison, that’s God saving you from yourself, and if you don’t take that time and come out greater, then that’s on you.”
In March 2023, Troy Ave testified against Taxstone for the infamous 2016 Irving Plaza shooting. The “Ice Cream” artist recalled the incident which ocurred during T.I.’s concert at the venue. Troy, who was on the bill as an opening act, asserted he used his gun in self-defense, the New York Post reported.
“If it’s fight or flight, I’m always going to fight because at that point you could die,” Ave said. “I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground. When the shot goes off I see the light from the spark and I hear the shot.”
“This is all happening fast. I get up and start fighting Taxstone, trying to take him, grab the gun, and another shot goes off. I put my leg up to kind of block the shot from hitting me in the face or chest.”
After the initial incident, Troy was charged with attempted murder and gun possession. At the time, he was looking at 15 years in prison. However, the businessman’s legal team negotiated a one-year sentence if he agreed to testify at Taxstone’s trial. Meanwhile, Tax was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
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