In fact, I didn't even meet him.' For me, it was more of a personal thing, like, 'What responsibility do you have in this situation, McKinley?' is what I had to ask myself. I tried my best, so for me this whole journey I wanted to prove to that young man his family, 'Listen, I really didn't kill your son. Those feelings are justified because I wasn't able to prove that I didn't commit this crime in court. There's a family that's grieving and many of them probably have some ill feelings towards me. Why do you feel the need to take so much personal responsibility for how that happened and for what happened?Īt the end of the day, this young man lost his life. that night in Club Mercedes, even while maintaining your innocence. And that's the responsibility that you've taken for the environment that led to the death of Barron Victor Jr.
The hardest thing for me to understand about how you've carried this is also one of the most admirable things about you. That's basically the conclusion I drew and I rolled with it. One of the things that stuck out in that moment was, okay, if you were willing to accept the highs of life - I traveled the world I did a lot of things at 22 years old that a lot of people dream of - who am I not to accept the lows? I just got to deal with it. When you say you understand, what was it that you came to understand so quickly after all of this? I always have faith that good things are always around the corner for me. I always believed that the best was yet to come. Then it was like, alright, I understand now. Yeah, I threw my little fit, I'm mad with you. It's weird, because my faith is something that I rarely ever talk about, but I would say this: It was restored, like, right after that. How did you restore your faith and how has your relationship with God changed since the day that you received that sentence? You once talked about being mad at God on the day the judge handed you your 30-year sentence. I just couldn't bear another disappointment. just my family being there and over these years there have been so many disappointments. I literally answered the questions the way I would have answered them 20 years ago. What were your expectations going into this hearing? Did you feel like you had to downplay your claims of innocence in order to get this outcome? Have you always been aware down to the day how long you've been in the whole time? Yeah, I remember you saying that in the hearing. And it was actually 21 years and one day, to be exact. I don't even know if that's the right word after 20 years, but I feel like something needs to be said in terms of the hearing last week. Rodney Carmichael: Congratulations, first off. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Click here to listen to our bonus episode and hear the entire first season of Louder Than A Riot. In an hour-long phone interview from Mac's work facility, the 43-year-old rapper opened up about maintaining his innocence and optimism throughout his time in prison, his experiences being targeted by police during his No Limit days and plans to return to music after his release.
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Now, after all requests to interview Mac were repeatedly denied by the warden of his correctional center, Louder Than A Riot was able to speak with Mac for the first time ever. To be clear, this potential commutation isn't the same thing as Mac being exonerated: It's basically a parole hearing taking place ahead of schedule. The board's recommendation will next go before Louisiana Gov. "Just as I cried tears for my son, I cried tears for Barron Victor too, to the kid that got killed."įor now, Mac is in a transitional work program - still incarcerated but with relaxed limitations and job training. At last, I couldn't believe that all of these people agreed to give my son a chance to return back to normality," Mac's dad told NPR a few days after the hearing. "I was actually crying tears of joy, you know, that came from my soul. started to sob and Sheila held him as two decades of fear and despair melted away.
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Tension visibly dissolved for Mac and his family. You know, to the extent that a model offender exists, he is one."Īfter convening in private to discuss Mac's case, the board returned with a unanimous vote for immediate parole eligibility. He is obviously intelligent and thoughtful," said Matthew Caplan, the current assistant district attorney who represents the same office that put Mac away all those years ago. Just as Mac's lyrics were used against him in court 21 years ago, hip-hop was being criminalized again in this hearing.īut there were also surprising words of support. Louder Than A Riot Outsmarting The Devil: Mac Phipps (Pt 3)
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