Mystikal, a New Orleans-born rapper who was once a prominent part of Master P’s No Limit Records roster during its heyday, was arrested in Louisiana over the weekend and faces several charges including rape.
A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said the 51-year-old musician was arrested just before midnight on Saturday, July 30, after deputies responded to a local hospital in reference to a sexual assault.
The victim, who sustained minor injuries during the attack, identified Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, as the suspect and he was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. He is facing multiple charges including first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery, strangulation, false imprisonment and simple criminal damage to property.
This is just the latest legal trouble for the former star who exploded onto the hip-hop scene in the 1990s with the song “It Ain’t My Fault” and had his biggest hit in 2000 with “Shake Ya A***," which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 after pleading guilty to sexual battery. In 2010, he was released and registered as a sex offender in Louisiana. Just two years later, however, a domestic battery charge against his then-partner put him back in prison, where he served three months for violating his probation.
That was not the end of his legal troubles. He turned himself into the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department in 2017 after a warrant was issued for his arrest for charges of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping arising from a 2016 allegation. The rapper spent 18 months in jail before being released on a $3 million bond. Eventually, the Caddo Parish District Attorney closed the investigation, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
Less than a week after Chris Rock finally addressed the incident, and four months after delivering the slap that shocked the cinema world, Will Smith posted a video to YouTube Friday to apologize again for striking the comedian during the live TV broadcast of the Academy Awards ceremony.
“I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the complexities and nuances of what happened in that moment,” Smith, who earned his first Oscar for "King Richard" moments after striding onto the stage and delivering a backhand to Rock, following a G. I. Jane joke at the expense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith who has been candid over the years about her struggles with the hair-loss triggering condition alopecia.
He continued, “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect of insults.”
Smith had previously posted an apology on Instagram hours after the incident. The video message, however, strove to answer questions about his motivations for his bad behavior as well as extend apologies to the comedian's family.
"It's been a minute," the opening credits of the video read. "Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work. You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer."
Among those answers were two that fans, television talking heads and entertainment rags had been speculating on for some time. Did his wife have anything to do with the attack, and why did he not apologize on stage when he accepted his award?
“I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it," Smith said, making it clear that he was to blame for any actions he took that night. As for why he didn't immediately apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for best actor, the Grammy winner said, "I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy."
Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle surprised fellow comedian Chris Rock with a live goat—which they jokingly named ‘Will Smith’— during a recent comedy performance at Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/n7AmRXbcQG
Seemingly holding back tears, Smith went on to offer apologies to Rock's mother, Rose, and brother Tony, as well as musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who picked up his best documentary Oscar for Summer of Soul in the awkward moments following the slap.
The star also acknowledged that his apology, though sincere, might be too late.
"I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out," he said. "So, I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Rock has been tight-lipped concerning the subject in public. His first comments came over the weekend while headlining stand-up shows in New York and New Jersey.
“Yeah, that s—t hurt, motherf—ker, but I shook that s—t off and went to work the next day,” Rock said.
He added, “I’m not a victim, motherf—ker. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
One day after a leak threatened to steal the thunder of her first new music in six years and with eclectic R&B diva Kelis renewing their somewhat one-sided feud over an alleged sample on the new album, Beyoncé showed no signs of stress.
In fact, it seems like the pop music crown was not weighing particularly heavy on her head at all as Queen Bey failed to address either the leak, or Kelis' accusation, and instead took to the internet to celebrate with fans.
With one day to go until the official July 29 release of the Grammy winner's latest effort "Renaissance," she shared a special message with her legions of fans, known colloquially as the BeyHive.
Beyoncé’s already dealing with leaks ahead of her "Renaissance" album release, and now she's facing accusations of theft from Kelis ... who says she had no part in clearing a sample for Bey's record. https://t.co/299UzmfQRe
“This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic,” said Beyoncé explaining its genesis. “A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative.” She also wrote, “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking.”
The 40-year-old goes on to call the process of creating the album a "beautiful journey of exploration," and thank family members, cultural and musical pioneers, her producers and perhaps most importantly her husband Jay-Z and the couple's three kids.
"I want to give a special thank you to Rumi, Sir and Blue for allowing me the space, creativity, and inspiration," she said. "And a special thanks to my husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio."
Read the entire message below.
This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative.
Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.
I want to give a special thank you to Rumi, Sir, and Blue for allowing me the space, creativity, and inspiration. And a special thanks to my beautiful husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio. A big thank you to my Uncle Johnny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album. Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you. Thank you to my Parkwood crew, my slab, Dream, and all of the talented producers involved. Mama, I luhhhh you. To my father, my O.G., my first teacher: You inspire me in every move that I make. I love you.
To all of my fans: I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.
