By the age of 11, he had secured a record deal with a local label and put out an LP as Lil Mac. Born in Uptown’s 3rd Ward in 1977, he grew up with hip hop – writing his first rap at the age of 7. We are grateful to all of those who have never wavered in their support of Mac’s innocence.McKinley “Mac” Phipps is a piece of New Orleans history in his own right. Today we are looking towards a brighter future for our family. Speaking on her husband getting parole after 21 years, she said, “Today marks the end of a long fight for justice. Speaking of Phipps’ parole meeting, the rapper was joined by his wife Angelique Phipps and his parents Shelia and McKinley. I think I've gotten a little too old to be the out-front man at this point." He added that he may not go back to music at all, saying he'd like to make use of the HVAC degree he obtained while in prison, as well as help out with his parents' visual art business. My capacity is probably more on the musical side of it, rather than just, you know, being out front and entertaining. In his response, Phipps said: "I think at 43 years old, my approach to that business is pretty different.
Tony Marabella, one of the pardon board members had asked Phipps if he was planning to return to rap once he's released: "That business that you're in has a flair for getting people into trouble or at least getting them put under suspicion. Even in his clemency hearing, Phipps' rapper persona was a point of discussion. A man named Thomas Williams - a member of Phipps' entourage who had been working security at the club that night - visited local police and confessed to the crime.Īs per a report on NPR's Louder Than A Riot podcast on Phipps in 2020, the prosecution's case had then leaned heavily on the rapper's Camouflage Assassin persona, citing lyrics from his songs that described violent acts as indicative of his capacity to commit murder. WDSU reports that the publication HuffPost got their hands on a leaked confession tape in April 2016 where a security guard confessed to committing the crime but he was not charged for the same as Phipps continued his prison time. The hip-hop artist was convicted of manslaughter. Phipps, who was preparing to perform at the venue, was arrested due to the lack of evidence and was sentenced to 30 years of prison for the same. A fight broke in the club where 19-year-old Barron Victor Jr was shot and killed. Phipps was a rising star of the No Limit Records when his life turned upside down following an incident at a local club in St Tammany Parish. Rapper 9locknine was recently arrested on RICO and racketeering charges.ĭae Dae's crimes: Atlanta rapper denies chasing and stabbing 17-year-old girl at Dunkin' DonutsĬhicago rapper Lil Reese shot in neck during car chase, in critical condition Atlanta rapper Metro Marrs, who is Migos’ label mate also got detained recently for throwing $10K in the air during his graduation ceremony. Hip-hop artists such as Polo G and Bandman Kevo were recently arrested whereas, a member from DaBaby’s entourage identified as Wisdom Awute was arrested for attempted murder. Speaking of arrests, a lot of rappers were recently in news for the same. He was 22-year-old at the time of arrest. Phipps was jailed for 30 years in the year 2000. All the board members had voted unanimously in his favor. The parole meeting took place over a video conference where three board members voted in his favor to grant the former No Limit’ member immediate parole, as reported by the publication WDSU. However, the specific date of his release is yet to be revealed. The Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole officially granted the rapper’s parole on Tuesday, June 22. Rapper Mac Phipps, whose legal name is McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr, was granted parole after serving 21 years in prison.