Mystikal Faces 20 Years in Prison After Guilty Plea in Latest Rape Case

Mystikal is headed to prison, again.

The rapper pleaded guilty on Tuesday, March 17, to third-degree rape in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, local news stations WBRZ and WAFB reported.

The hip-hop star, born Michael Tyler, faces up to 20 years in state prison after entering the plea. The troubled 55-year-old artist is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

The charge stemmed from an arrest in 2022, after a woman told investigators she was raped in the rapper’s Ascension Parish home. The woman said she was held against her will after Mystikal took her phone and car keys, then raped, beat and choked her.

The woman also said the rapper forced her to send him money via Cash App during the ordeal.

In a press release on July 30, 2022, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a hospital to take a report on a sexual assault. “Through further investigation, Michael ‘Mystikal’ Tyler was identified as a suspect.”

Authorities obtained a warrant and searched the rapper’s home. The sheriff’s office released a statement saying detectives “located valuable evidence to corroborate the victim’s account of the rape,” along with a “variety” of illegal drugs.

Mystikal was charged with first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery, and false imprisonment, as previously reported. He pleaded not guilty at the time.

WAFB reported he’s been held without bond since 2022, as the case made its way through the courts.

Before reaching an agreement with prosecutors and changing his plea, Mystikal had been facing life in prison.

The New Orleans native is no stranger to local authorities.

In 2004, he pleaded guilty to sexual battery and extortion and was sentenced to six years in a Louisiana state prison after forcing his hairstylist to perform sex acts on him and two bodyguards.

The rapper was released from prison in January 2010 after serving the full six years. Following his release, he was required to register as a sex offender.

In 2017, he turned himself in to face rape and kidnapping charges in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. He was held at the Caddo Correctional Facility for 18 months until he was able to post the $3 million bond. In December 2020, the charges were  dismissed due to lack of evidence.

In 2021, he sat down with VLAD TV, Mystikal said he had a difficult time adjusting to society following his release from prison in 2010.

“I was in such a culture shock,” he said.

The rapper scored a global hit in 2000 with “Shake Ya Ass.” His other popular songs included “Danger (Been So Long),” and “Bouncin’ Back (Bumpin’ Me Against The Wall).” He was nominated for three Grammy Awards early in his career, according to Grammy.com.

In a 2021 interview with TV One’s Unsung, he talked about finding fame and fortune after signing to Master P’s No Limit Records.

“When you get to No Limit, you’re going to get your Rolex. You’re going to get your No Limit chain, you’ll get a car, a f–king house, ” he said.