Key Takeaways
- Master P publicly addressed Mystikal's 20-year prison sentence on the "Life in Miami" podcast, saying he respects his former artist's acceptance of the punishment and that "he's where he need to be."
- Mystikal, legally known as Michael Tyler, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape under a 20-year sentencing cap and was sentenced on June 16 for a 2022 assault of a woman at his Prairieville, Louisiana home.
- Master P used the interview to call for better mental health care access in the Black community, saying stigma keeps people from seeking help and that proper counseling could save lives.
- Master P credited Mystikal with helping build the No Limit Records empire and said he plans to bring the rapper's son on stage for a tribute performance.
Master P offered his thoughts on the 20-year prison sentence handed to his former signee Mystikal.
Sitting for an interview on the We in Miami podcast, the No Limit Records founder opted to take a more sympathetic approach to Mystikal’s sentence, focusing the conversation on drugs.
At his sentencing hearing, the rapper reportedly said, "If that's what I did, I deserve every day of this sentence. I'm sorry. I hope you heal," in response to his victim alleging the rapper sexually assaulted and tortured her for hours.
Master P spent much of the interview steering the conversation toward mental health treatment, arguing that asking for help still carries a stigma. “I don’t think he ever got the right medicine he need,” Master P said. “Drugs is killing our culture…they’re self medicating.”
"When you look at mental health, man, a lot of people are afraid to say they're dealing with this," he said.
He also refused to write off Mystikal's run with the label. "Man, Mystikal has helped us build an empire.” He added that in live performances, Mystikal’s son Jimi Nu pays tribute to his father.
Mystikal signed with No Limit in 1996, released Unpredictable and Ghetto Fabulous on the label, and parted ways with the imprint in July 2000 while recording Let's Get Ready.
The rapper, whose legal name is Michael Tyler, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape on March 17 under a 20-year sentencing cap, stepping back from a first-degree charge that carried an automatic life term. Days before his hearing, his attorney filed a motion to withdraw the plea, arguing Tyler "did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences" of it. A judge dismissed it.
He was sentenced on June 16 to 20 years for the 2022 assault of a woman at his home in Prairieville, Louisiana, and ordered to keep complying with sex offender registration requirements.
The victim asked the court for the maximum term, telling the judge Tyler punched her, choked her, pulled braids from her hair and raped her after accusing her of stealing money, according to WBRZ. The conviction follows Mystikal's 2003 guilty plea to sexual battery and extortion, which brought a six-year prison term and lifetime sex offender registration after his 2010 release.
