'Rap Trap': He got his big break in hip-hop. Then his lyrics helped put him behind bars for decades

When McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr. signed with No Limit Records in 1997, the up-and-coming rapper had big dreams.

“When I signed with No Limit my goal actually was to be the biggest rapper in the world,” Phipps said in an ABC News Studios documentary, “Rap Trap: Hip-Hop on Trial,” which premieres on Hulu on Feb. 23.

“I wanted to be the most dominant lyricist. I wanted to make the most money. I wanted to be the biggest star in hip-hop that there was.”

But only a few years after Phipps got his big break, his own lyrics would be used against him in a murder case and would help put him behind bars for more than two decades.

In 2000, after touring, a 22-year-old Phipps went home to New Orleans and had promised his parents that he would perform at an event at a small club on Feb. 20.

“I remember loud music being played … I remember the dance floor bein' packed,” he said.

His parents, McKinley Phipps Sr. and Sheila Phipps, who were at the event, told “Rap Trap” that a fight appeared to break out and chaos erupted after people realized there was a shooting.

Then Mac Phipps said he heard “a pop.”

“I immediately dropped down to the ground,” he said, “and I pulled my gun out and I headed toward the front door.”

Mac Phipps said he went home, but later that night he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

“I waived all of my rights and I say, ‘Y'all can search everything,’” Mac Phipps said.

He was put on trial in September 2001 and was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Barron Victor.

“When the guilty verdict was read … I remember just … crying,” he said. While incarcerated, he missed the birth of his son and decades of moments with his family.

Erik Neilson, co-author of “Rap on Trial,” told “Rap Trap” that lyrics are often introduced as “character evidence” and in the case of Mac Phipps, lyrics were part of the prosecution’s case.

According to court documents obtained by ABC News, prosecutors quoted lyrics from two 1998 songs off Phipps’ album, “Shell Shocked.”

They read to the jury the lyrics “Murda, murda, kill, kill,” and “If you F with me I’ll put a bullet to your brain” — which was a misquote from the lyric, “If you F with me he'll give you a bullet in yo brain.”

“They actually brought in lyrics of his from two different songs, spliced them together as if they came from the same song, and then actually changed lyrics within it to make him sound as threatening as possible,” Nielson said.

Witnesses also pointed to Mac Phipps as the shooter during the trial. But in interviews with The Huffington Post in 2015 five witnesses claimed​ that authorities intimidated them into identifying Phipps as the shooter or silenced or ignored their testimony, and a key witness recanted her testimony. ABC News has not independently verified their claims.

Phipps, who has always maintained his innocence, was granted clemency by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on April 8, 2021.

He was released on parole on June 22, 2021, after serving 21 years of his 30-year sentence.

His case has spotlighted the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal proceedings – a decades-old controversial practice that has gained national attention after the May 2022 indictment of Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug, who is facing gang-related charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

Although the scope of Young Thug's indictment goes far beyond the lyrics, their inclusion in the case sparked a movement in the music community to “Protect Black Art.”

“When you start to introduce someone’s fictional creative expression as evidence, you have deeply compromised that person’s right to a fair trial,” Neilson said.

For Phipps and his family, including his wife Angelique Phipps, fighting for change is now a lifelong mission.

“Seeing him do the type of work that he's doing … it's a form of healing,” Angelique Phipps said.

“Art should be protected,” Mac Phipps said.

“Rap was my anti-drug. It was the thing that kept me away from the streets. It was the thing that I fell in love with, that I looked to take me and my family out of our financial condition,” he added. “It was the thing that gave me freedom.”