Before completing his term as the nation’s president, Donald Trump commuted the prison sentences of over 140 people, including Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. The pardons weren’t extended to No Limit rapper Mac, but fortunately, roughly a month later, he is inching closer to his own freedom. On Monday (Feb. 22), the Huffington Post reported, the Louisiana Board of Parole and Pardons voted to grant clemency to the Louisiana native.
Mac, born Mckinley Phipps, was sentenced to 30 years in prison following manslaughter charges in connection to the death of Barron C Victor Jr., who was fatally shot at Club Mercedes in Slidell, Louisiana. The rapper’s bodyguard confessed to wrongly shooting Victor, but Mac was still found guilty of the crime.
Recently, however, The Lens — an investigative publication in New Orleans — uncovered relevant information that led to the questioning of the No Limit rapper’s conviction. The news outlet reportedly found an affidavit that detailed an admission from a key witness who claimed they saw Phipps shoot Victor. Additionally, Lens reporters noticed that witnesses who were next to the rapper at the time of the gunfire weren’t given the chance to testify in court.
Mac’s case raised more eyebrows after Walter Reed — the former DA behind his conviction — was sentenced to five years in prison for his corruption and “willingness to put people bars,” per the Huffington Post.
Though the Board of Parole and Pardons voted for “immediate parole eligibility” in Mac’s case, the No Limit star must first receive Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ approval and make another appearance before the board. His wife, Angelique Phipps, is urging everyone to remain patient until the process is complete.
“While we are one major step closer to freedom and rectification, we are however still exercising patience and caution to see this process through to the end,” she wrote in a statement. “When all is said and done, we’re hopeful that our situation will bring light to many comparable cases, allowing those in similar circumstances to avoid these hardships and to have justice prevail.”