Mystikal pleads guilty to raping a woman in 2022
New Orleans rapper Mystikal has pleaded guilty to third-degree rape.
The 55-year-old (real name Michael Tyler) entered a guilty plea at an Ascension Parish courtroom in Louisiana on March 17th.
According to WAFB, the New Orleans artist is facing up to 20 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Mystikal was arrested at his Prairieville home in 2022 on charges of first-degree rape, domestic abuse battery-strangulation, and false imprisonment, entering a not guilty plea.
His arrest came after police officers responded to an alleged sexual assault by a woman in the hospital. A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said, “Once we got there, we talked to the victim, who had some very visible injuries on her body, and she was very distraught.”
He continued, “She talked with us, we interviewed her, and she was able to identify who the suspect was. And in this case, it was Michael Tyler, also known as Mystikal.”
Mystikal attempted to be released on bond in November 2025, but was denied. Ascension Parish Judge Steven Tureau ordered him to remain behind bars ahead of a potential life sentence.
The rapper is best known for his hit single ‘Shake Ya Ass’, which reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. His song ‘Danger (Been So Long)’ featuring Nivea also peaked at number 14.
His fourth album, Let’s Get Ready, released in 2000, topped the Billboard 200 chart, selling 330,663 copies in its first week. It featured many big names such as Outkast, The Neptunes, Da Brat, Petey Pablo, and others.
Mystikal was once signed to Master P’s renowned label, No Limit Records, on which he released two albums, Unpredictable and Ghetto Fabolous.