Rapper Kidd Creole convicted of manslaughter, jailed for 16 years

Kidd Creole, a founding member of the famed hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for stabbing to death a homeless man after a fight in Manhattan.

In April, the 61-year-old hip-hop pioneer, actual name Nathaniel Glover, was convicted guilty of manslaughter in the 2017 death of John Jolly, a 55-year-old vagabond and sex offender.

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“The defendant had committed a senseless and unwarranted act of violence that took the life of one of the city’s most vulnerable populations — the homeless,” Prosecutor Mark Dahl called for Glover to be sentenced to 18 years in jail.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, whose band had hit singles like “Freedom” and “The Message” in the early 1980s, faced up to 25 years in prison.

Glover stated during the sentencing hearing that he had been wrongfully branded as a murderer.

“I’m very disappointed in the way that this whole situation played out. I’ve been portrayed as a callous and senseless [killer]… which is far from the person who I am,” he stated in Manhattan Supreme Court.

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“I’ve been slandered and all this made me seem as if I am a person who actually has no remorse and no repentance.”

Glover said that he was “disappointed” with how the hearings went, but that “I also feel that at a certain point the truth of all of this will be revealed and I will be exonerated.”

However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that the case exemplifies his office’s efforts to combat violent crime.

“Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Bragg noted in a statement following his punishment. “This case makes clear that if you commit a violent crime, we will hold you accountable.”

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Glover got into a yelling match with Jolly in August 2017 at the intersection of East 44th Street and Third Avenue before the stabbing, according to police after his arrest.

Glover’s lawyer, Scottie Celestin, contended during the trial that he acted in self-defense and that Jolly’s stab wounds were not life-threatening.

Celestin originally blamed Jolly’s death on a combination of alcohol and a sedative given to him by Bellevue Hospital staff because he was aggressive.