A Paris court sentenced popular French rapper MHD to 12 years in prison for his role in a fatal fight in 2018. The verdict was handed down on Saturday after a three-week trial; five other co-defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between ten and 18 years. The Public Ministry asked for 18 years in prison for the rapper. MHD, whose real name is Mohamed Sylla, protested his innocence in the proceedings.
The convicts allegedly beat and stabbed a 23-year-old young man in central Paris in July 2018. The young man died from serious injuries. Investigators assumed a confrontation between rival gangs from two parts of the city. Sylla’s car was seen in the area of the crime scene and, according to the investigation files, several witnesses identified the rapper by his hairstyle or clothes. A court has now found the 39-year-old man guilty of involvement in the murder.
MHD became known as the self-proclaimed inventor of “Afro-Trap”, a form of rap influenced by African influences. He scored a huge hit with “Afro Trap Part 3 (Champions League)”, an anthem for the capital’s football club, Paris Saint-Germain. His debut album of the same name was certified double platinum. In 2018, the musician with West African roots released his second album “19”, which also reached platinum status. “Mansa” followed in 2021, with which – like its two predecessors – it reached the top 3 of the album charts in France.
Sylla started rapping in 2015 while working as a pizza delivery boy. He chose MHD, an abbreviation of his first name, as his stage name.