Grammy-nominated hip hop type Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in jail yesterday, which is quite a lot, though she could have got 25. The jailing came after her being found guilty back in March of shooting one Makeda Barnes Joseph during a dispute over money last July.
Ma, real name Remy Smith, begged the judge for leniency when it came to sentencing for the sake of "my little boy", adding that she had grown up "surrounded by failure, violence and poverty", but had, nevertheless, "made something out of nothing" in her life. She also issued an apology to Joseph, to whom she said: "I feel so bad for all the physical and mental pain you've gone through. This has taken a toll on us and both our families. I would never wish you harm and I pray the best for all of us".
State Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller said she recognised Smith had had a difficult childhood, and took on board her other comments, but that she thought the rapper was "a young woman whose anger is out of control", adding that she couldn't ignore that Joseph nearly died as a result of the shooting, and that she would never be physically the same as a result of the incident.
Smith was reportedly tearful at the sentencing, while her fiancé, rapper Papoose, seemed to be more angry than upset, and was reported seen screaming in the hallway outside the courtroom "All you want is money!", possibly a reference to Joseph's concurrent civil lawsuit in relation to the shooting.
Smith and Papoose had planned to marry last year at Rikers Island jail, where Smith was incarcerated after the shooting, but the wedding was halted after jail guards found what they thought was a handcuff key on Papoose. However, no action has been taken against him, and the couple reportedly plan to tie the knot behind bars later this year.