Who is rapper Kay Flock? Artist sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting in Bronx

Rapper Kay Flock was handed a 30-year prison sentence on Tuesday (local time) over a string of shootings in his Bronx neighbourhood, bringing an abrupt end to a promising music career that had begun to gain momentum before his arrest in 2021, as reported by The Associated Press.

Judge criticises rapper for glorifying violence

US District Judge Lewis J Liman, who delivered the sentence, criticised the 22-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kevin Perez, for sending the wrong message to his young peers by glorifying violence during a less-than-18-month stretch from 2020 to 2021 that prosecutors said left dozens of people on Bronx streets shot at, injured or killed, the report said.

Conviction and gang ties

Perez was convicted in March of charges including racketeering conspiracy and attempted murder. “You taunted, you celebrated, and you helped create a cycle of violence,” Liman said, adding that Perez bragged on social media that he was exonerated on the top count and wrote “KILL ALL RATS” on Instagram after a trial in which gang members testified against him.

The judge called Perez a “man of promise” but said a lengthy prison sentence was necessary for four separate shootings that injured multiple people while he led a gang known as “Sev Side/DOA.”

Perez claims he has changed

Perez insisted that he had changed, saying, “What I was at 18 is not what I am today.”

Saying everyone deserves a second chance, he added, “I was just a kid. Didn't really know better.”

However, Liman criticised him for showing no remorse or concern for his victims.

“To date, you've shown no real remorse for your conduct,” the judge said.

Rising star in drill rap scene

Perez was named Billboard magazine’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month in November 2021 after releasing his debut album, The D.O.A. Tape. The project helped establish him as a rising name in New York’s drill rap scene, a genre known for artists who often brandish weapons and use slang-laden lyrics centred on violence, AP reported.

Prosecutors sought harsher sentence

Assistant US Attorney Patrick R Moroney asked the court to impose a 50-year prison sentence, the same sentence recommended by the court's Probation Department officer, arguing that Perez's music includes threats and taunts.

“He was very good at celebrating his violence and getting under the skin of his rivals,” the prosecutor said.

In their sentencing brief, prosecutors wrote that Perez signed with a music label and used violence to further his career.

“The music that had glorified gang violence made the defendant famous and now rich,” they wrote, accusing Perez of encouraging violence through private messages.

Defence cites troubled upbringing

Defence attorney Michael Ashley urged the judge to levy the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, saying Perez grew up in one of the nation's most dangerous neighbourhoods and fell under the influence of an older man who encouraged gang activity.

Judge notes troubled past

Liman said he took into consideration that the crimes occurred while Perez's brain was “still evolving and maturing” and that six of his friends died from gun violence before he turned 18.

“The life of the street, it seems to me, is all you've ever known,” Liman said.

(With inputs from AP)