A judge sentenced Hip Hop pioneer Kidd Creole to 16 years in prison for killing a homeless man.
Kidd Creole, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in April. The 62-year-old rapper stabbed a man named John Jolly twice in the torso with a steak knife in 2017.
Jolly died from his injuries. He was 55.
“Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said in a press release. “Every life we lose to violent crime ripples throughout our entire city, and we will continue to ensure everyone in our borough can live their lives with the sense of safety and security they deserve.”
Bragg continued, “This case makes clear that if you commit violent crime, we will hold you accountable, and I thank our team for their hard work achieving justice in this matter.”
Attorney Scottie Celestin, who represented Kidd Creole in the case, plans to appeal his client’s conviction. He claimed the judge had too much influence in the trial, according to the New York Times.
Kidd Creole was a member of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. The legendary group became the first Hip Hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.