Baby Gangsta sentenced to 14 years in federal prison
Rapper Baby Gangsta has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison due to witness tampering and gun possession.
According to reports, 31-year-old Baby Gangsta — who is known as one of the guys from Lil Wayne’s old group, Hot Boys — was sentenced on Wednesday. The local rapper gained international acclaim for his gritty songs that talk about violence, no-snitch mantra and drug dealing. Baby Gangsta — whose real name is Christopher Dorsey — was an original member of the 1990s super rap group, “Hot Boys.” His latest album, “Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood,” came out in 2009 on Atlantic records.
New Orleans-born Baby Gangsta toured the world, but his 2009 traffic stop in eastern New Orleans — together with his lengthy criminal history — marked the end of his freedom.
The rapper has previously pleaded guilty to felony possession of a firearm during the 2009 traffic stop he was involved in. However, he was said to have obstructed justice when he forced one of his two associates to falsely claim ownership of the gun. Baby Gangsta confessed to the crimes, but the prosecutors made it clear that he was not cooperating, staying in line with the “no-snitch” philosophy he often advocates in his songs.
Baby Gangsta was arrested together with his two associates, Demounde Pollard, 20, and Jerod Fedison, 30. The authorities found them in possession of three guns, together with loaded magazines. Two of the guns had been reported to be stolen, while the car had also been stolen from an Alamo rental car parking lot.
Pollard initially admitted that he owns the guns, but it was later revealed to be ordered by Baby Gangsta. The state criminal case was eventually moved to federal court, and both Fedison and Pollard pleaded guilty, which paved the way for the charges against the rapper. Pollard agreed to a plea with prosecutors and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Meanwhile, Fedison, who also has a lengthy criminal record, received a 20-year sentence. In court filings, prosecutors of the case have linked Baby Gangsta to two of the city’s most high-profile alleged murderers — Telly Hankton and Walter Porter. The rapper name-checks the two men in videos posted online.
Telly Hankton, who was recently convicted in one murder and is serving a life sentence, has been branded as Public Enemy No.1 by the local prosecutors and police who claimed that he ran a widespread drug empire, whose markets were enforced with violence. Hankton is currently awaiting trial on another murder. On the other hand, Porter is currently serving time in jail, charged with killing the brother of a witness in a murder that was said to be perpetrated by Hankton.
The videos became a debate topic in the courtroom, reports said. Prosecutors who were seeking a 25-year jail sentence pointed to them as evidence of Baby Gangsta’s criminal activity that is wide-ranging.
“These videos are horrendous, especially in this city right now,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurice Landrieu told the judge Wednesday. He discussed the city’s “cycle of violence,” and insisted that the rapper was “profiting off it.”
J.C. Lawrence, the attorney of Baby Gangsta said that his appearance in the videos is posturing and marketing.
“Though many people would frown upon his art, it is art,” Lawrence said of Gangsta’s work.
U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan expressed her contempt for the videos, but she refrained from using them as a basis to give a longer sentence, which is sought by Landrieu.
The judge said she believed that the songs and videos of Baby Gangsta “may have contributed to the murders of young people” in New Orleans, noting that he extolled retaliation and fostered an atmosphere of violence,” adding, “His career has just been deplorable and sad.”
Baby Gangsta grew up in Uptown and was signed with Cash Money Records at the age of 13. The rapper battled heroin addiction and released several albums and mixtapes throughout his 15-year career.