Mystikal—real name Michael Tyler—is heading behind bars for two decades after entering a guilty plea to third-degree rape charges. The Louisiana rapper was sentenced on Tuesday following a plea deal that reduced his potential time behind bars, according to Rolling Stone.
The victim confronted Tyler in court, describing an attack at his Louisiana home in 2022. She told the judge how Tyler had punched her, pulled braids from her hair, and forcibly raped her—and called for the maximum sentence.
Tyler acknowledged the severity of his actions, telling those present: "If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence." The judge agreed, handing down a full 20 years for third-degree rape.
The plea deal allowed Tyler to avoid far worse consequences. He had faced charges for first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic-abuse battery, and false imprisonment dating back to 2022. The first-degree rape charge alone would have carried an automatic life sentence. He accepted the guilty plea to the lesser third-degree charge in March 2026.
Tyler had originally pleaded not guilty and was scheduled for trial, but the plea agreement changed that at the last minute. He accepted responsibility just before his case was set to proceed to court.
The 20-year sentence effectively ends the hip-hop veteran's career.
