It was only a matter of time. Hours after Taxstone was found guilty in the 2016 killing of Troy Ave’s bodyguard Ronald McPhatter, the rapper responded—with a diss track. On Thursday (March 23), Troy Ave released “Dear Hater I Won (Taxstone Found Guilty),” which finds him questioning the podcaster’s street credibility.
The song kicks off with clips of commentators talking about a letter Taxstone wrote to the judge, decimating Troy Ave’s character. “Since you n-ggas like writing letters, here go one,” he raps. “Dear hater, I won/I’ma boss, you a bum.”
Simultaneously, Troy Ave defends his actions that night at Irving Plaza, maintaining he acted in self-defense. He continues, “Got attempted murder ’cause I took the gun from him and bust back/This ain’t no made up raps, I’m paraphrasing the facts/I’m the king of the underground, you just a underground rat.”
Taxstone was convicted of second-degree murder and will be sentenced next month for what District Attorney Alvin Bragg called a “tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue.”
In exchange for his testimony, prosecutors reportedly promised Troy Ave a one-year prison sentence, including time served.
Troy Ave bragged about testifying against his former adversary last week. As he wrote on Instagram: “To all my real ones that been riding with & for me, today is the day I finally get to clear my name. It’s been almost 7 years since I lost one of my closest friends #RIPBANGA. 7 years of a narrative about it being my fault, 7 years of my character being assassinated all the while trying to defend myself without saying much! I took it all on the chin, never complained about the stress even tho I felt it. Never complained about the pain even tho it hurt! Never shed a tear even tho my heart was crying!”
He added: “At my weakest points I drew strength from GOD! Drew strength from my children & drew strength from y’all. But today … ya boi is strong! Today is our day! We in court & the facts will speak louder than any words! It’s time to get this false narrative off my name and dark cloud off my head.”