Hip hop rapper Mac Phipps says he was wrongly incarcerated for a murder he didn’t commit after his lyrics were used against him in court.
After serving 21 years in prison, he’s now issuing a stern warning other artists: ‘It’s hip hop today, but what is it going to be tomorrow?’
Following the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Barron Victor Jr, Mac was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 years in prison at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in Louisiana in 2001.
He was eventually granted clemency by the Louisiana governor and was released on parole in 2021, but his conviction was not overturned.
Since his release, Mac, along with the non-government organization Free Our Art, has been advocating for all artists to make sure that their works are not used against them in a court of law.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, he explained why artists should be concerned, and why using freedom of expression sets a dangerous precedent.
‘This is a travesty, and I don’t never want to understate that,’ Mac stated of his situation. ‘We’re talking about 21 years of someone’s life.
‘Even if it wasn’t me, this could have been anybody’s son, anybody’s daughter, sitting in prison for a crime that they didn’t do because someone used their art against them in court. And that’s something that we all should think about.’
Hip hop rapper Mac Phipps says he was imprisoned for 21 years for a crime he did not commit after his lyrics were used against him
After serving over two decades years in prison, he’s now issuing a stern warning other artists: ‘It’s hip hop today, but what is it going to be tomorrow?’
During his trial, Mac says prosecutors took lyrics from his tracks Shell Shocked and Murda, Murda, Kill, Kill out of context and used them as evidence of his guilt. The songs had been inspired by his father’s time in the military.
Besides his case, there have been several other instances of rappers having their work weaponized in a court of law.
In 2022, for example, Young Thug saw his lyrics used against him when the judge overseeing his case permitted prosecutors to use them as evidence.
‘I think it has set, dangerous precedent because it’s hip hop today, but what is going to be tomorrow?’ Mac, 47, pointed out.
‘It is not exclusive to hip hop, and we are advocating for not just rappers.
‘I have a calling for artists or authors, any type of art, that’s why the name of the organization is Free Our Art.
‘I think that when we allow it in one instance, it opens the door for it to be used in God knows in which way, so these bills that we’re advocating for will stop it in its tracks.’
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Mac revealed he turned to advocacy to help prevent other artists falling victim to their own art
‘Hip hop is something I’ve loved since a child, for as long as I can remember,’ Mac said. ‘And to have those words my art used against me in court was painful’
Free Our Art is particularly focused on passing bipartisan state and federal legislation that limit how creative expression can be turned against artists in courtrooms, with lobbyists in Georgia and Missouri.
They are providing resources that supports defendants in relevant cases and are funding initiatives for legal assistant, research and alliances.
‘Art in itself, by the very definition, is not literal, you know, it’s imaginative, it’s expressive,’ Mac added.
Twenty-one years in a prison cell for a crime you didn’t commit is an unfathomable amount of time. Mac admits his time in prison was a very difficult experience, and at times he lost hope.
‘Hip hop is something I’ve loved since a child, for as long as I can remember,’ Mac said.
‘And to have those words my art used against me in court was painful. I remember just crying when the judge said guilty. I just dropped my head on the desk, and I just cried.
‘I think what hurt the most was the fact that this thing that I love so much was actually used against me, and I knew I was innocent of the charges.’
On particularly difficult days, Mac would question why he even decided to pursue a career in the genre in the first place.
To those who have found themselves locked up for a crime they did not commit, Mac says ‘never, ever give up hope’
But eventually, those feelings subsided and, with the help of artists like J. Cole, he began to love hip hop again.
For Mac, having support from his family and loved ones, as well as fans, who sent would send him letters, was crucial in helping him get through his sentence.
‘It was little things like that,’ he remembered. ‘People writing me from all over the world, just acknowledging the fact that I had been wronged. All of that just gave me motivation to keep on going.’
DailyMail.com interviewed Mac on the fourth anniversary of his clemency being granted, and it’s a day that lives clearly etched in his memory.
‘This is the day that I remember getting the news and I knew that it was just a matter of time that I would be getting up out of there,’ he said.
‘I remember just feeling anxious, feeling, excited and just trying to absorb that moment. It was like all of that weight that I have been carrying for all of those years… I just felt lighter that day.’
Although he has his freedom back and forgives those who had him locked up, Mac rightly refuses to accept what happened to him – and rightly so.
‘I don’t think there would ever be a time where I will accept that this has happened to me,’ he said frankly.
‘And it’s okay, because if I would have accepted it, I probably wouldn’t be here today advocating for others in this situation.
‘I’m definitely not accepting it – and I don’t want anybody else who may find themselves in this situation to accept it. I think it’s more important that we all band together, people who are passionate about it and to fight to protect people from getting in this situation.’
To those who have found themselves locked up for a crime they did not commit, Mac says ‘never, ever give up hope.’
‘Secondly, I would say, find that thing that in the midst of that chaos that makes you feel alive and free, and cling on to that thing with all your might, and never lose sight of the mission,’ he continued.
‘The mission is to ultimately be free. I don’t care what your rap sheet says.
‘I don’t care about the LIFE on your rap sheet, never give up hope and never stop fighting for your freedom because those of us on the outside, we’re going to do our best to try to make sure we play our part in helping as well.’
