French rapper MHD sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder

AFPRapper MHD at a hearing early this month

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 09:09

French rapper MHD (29) has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for involvement in murder. Mohamed Sylla, as the artist is really called, has been found guilty of the murder of a 21-year-old man in Paris in July 2018.

The victim was first hit by the rapper’s car. He was then beaten and stabbed by a group of about twelve people. Sylla’s Mercedes was recognized in a video of the attack made by an eyewitness. The rapper’s car was found burned out a day later.

An argument between rival gangs is said to have led to the murder. Others involved in the serious assault have been sentenced to terms of 10 to 18 years.

Concert in Amsterdam

A few months after the death of 23-year-old Loic K., the rapper was arrested. A concert in Amsterdam planned a few days after his arrest was canceled.

The rapper denies that he was involved in the murder. Sylla says the accusations are based on gossip. “From the beginning I have said in this case that I am innocent and I will continue to maintain that,” he told the crowded court in Paris.

When the verdict was pronounced, MHD family members in the audience burst into tears, the Le Monde newspaper reported. MHD continued to look stoically before hugging a crying woman.

Afrotrap

MHD was at the origin of a genre called ‘Afrotrap’. This involves rapping in French over a combination of African rhythms and American rap beats. Sylla was born in France as the son of Guinean and Senegalese parents and is best known for Afro Trap Part 3 (Champions League).

He wrote that song in honor of the Paris Saint-Germain football club. As a football fan, MHD often wore football shirts in his clips.

In 2015 he had a big hit with Afro Trap Part 3 (Champions League), which has been viewed almost 139 million times on YouTube:

Mohamed Sylla was still a pizza delivery person when he started rapping. He put his music on the internet and became popular, without the intervention of a record label.

In 2016, he said about this in an interview with 101Barz: “When I put the first version online, it spread like a virus. People were positive in the comments and asked for a second part. That inspired me to continue and create new ones. versions.”

He was later signed by a major record company. In the Netherlands, MHD collaborated with Kees de Koning’s leading rap label TopNotch. The Frenchman’s first album was certified gold in the Netherlands in 2018, which means it has sold 20,000 times.

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