American rapper Mystikal has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape charges stemming from an incident at his Louisiana residence in 2022.
Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, was sentenced on Tuesday by a Louisiana court after entering a guilty plea earlier this year to reduced charges of third-degree rape.
According to court reports, the victim appeared during the sentencing hearing and urged the court to impose the maximum punishment.
She recounted that the rapper allegedly assaulted her, pulled out her braids, choked her and forcibly raped her during the incident.
Addressing the court after the victim’s testimony, Mystikal reportedly said, “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence.”
The 55-year-old musician was initially arrested in 2022 on charges including first-degree rape and false imprisonment.
However, in March 2026, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of legal proceedings.
Reports indicated that Mystikal filed a motion on June 12 seeking to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that he did not have sufficient time to fully consider its consequences and was under significant emotional distress when the plea was entered.
The case arose from allegations that the rapper assaulted a woman at his home in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
The victim told investigators that Mystikal beat, choked and raped her, while also taking her keys and mobile phone.
She further alleged that he forced her to transfer money to him electronically before allowing her to leave the premises.
Had he been convicted on the original charges, which included first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery by strangulation and false imprisonment, Mystikal could have faced a life sentence.
The rapper is known for hit songs including Shake Ya Ass and Danger (Been So Long).
Court records also show that Mystikal has previously faced legal troubles.
In 2004, he was convicted in a separate sexual assault case involving his hairstylist and served six years in prison.
He was also jailed in 2012 on misdemeanor domestic abuse charges, while rape and kidnapping charges filed against him in 2017 were later dropped.
The latest conviction marks another major setback for the veteran rapper’s career and public image.
