US rapper Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, has pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in a Louisiana court, facing up to 20 years in prison. The 55-year-old entered the plea on Tuesday in a state courthouse outside Baton Rouge, according to local news outlets WBRZ and WAFB.
Tyler was originally charged with first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery and false imprisonment, to which he had pleaded not guilty. The guilty plea was reportedly part of a deal that reduced the severity of the charges; a conviction on the original charges would have carried a mandatory life sentence.
The case stems from a 2022 arrest, with the victim alleging that Tyler raped, beat and choked her, took her phone and car keys to prevent her from leaving, and forced her to send him money via Cash App. Tyler's sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for June.
Mystikal rose to fame with the 2000 hit 'Shake Ya Ass' and earned two Grammy nominations. He previously served six years in prison for sexual assault and extortion in a 2004 case involving his hairstylist, which required him to register as a sex offender. He also served three months in 2012 for a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge, and faced rape and kidnapping charges in 2017 that were later dropped.
