Y&R Mookey, a Florida rapper whose lyrics talk about his escapades in the streets with guns and seedy characters, wanted the court to know that despite the illusion he presents in his videos, he is “not a violent person.”
The rapper was in a hearing in a Duval County Circuit Court on Tuesday, April 12th, where he was sentenced to almost a decade behind bars.
The 23-year-old, whose real name is Tyler Jackson, said to Judge Meredith Charbula, “I am not the person that the state is trying to make me out to be,” as he accepted his sentence for the February 2022 “possession of a firearm by a convicted felon” conviction connected to the January 2019 arrest, according to First Coast News.
“I’m not a violent person. I’m not no gang member,” he said. “Music is my craft and how I make my livelihood and should not be taken literally. I’m an entertainer who gives his fans what they want to see and hear.”
As reported by AllHipHop.com, Y&R Mookey was caught up in Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called Operation Rap Up, targeting gang members who talked about their victories and beefs in the street on social media.
He was detained with six other people.
The rapper was picked up with another crew member named Y&R Slugga Tee, whose real name is Tyler Simmons. The two, who shared the same first names, were called the “Murder Twins.” Mookey was convicted on the firearm count.
Slugga Tee was convicted and sentenced a month before Mookey and received seven years.
Y&R Mookey also received a seven-year sentence, 13 years less than the state initially asked for.