Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s Kidd Creole found guilty of manslaughter

Hip-hop pioneer Kidd Creole has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Born Nathaniel Glover, Kidd Creole – an original member of the pioneering New York hip-hop act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – was charged with first-degree manslaughter following the stabbing of a homeless man in 2017.

Glover, 62, was arrested following the death of 55-year-old John Lolly. According to the police report at the time, the rapper said: “To tell the truth, I thought he was gay and because I thought he was gay, and he was saying that to me, ‘what’s up,’ I was thinking that he was thinking I was gay. So I was a little annoyed by that.”

“He approached me,” added Glover. “I got a little nervous. So then I tried to back up a little bit, and he moved forward, and then I just took the knife and stabbed him. I wish I never would have seen him. It’s all my fault, because I chose to stab him. I have to take responsibility for that.”

Prosecutors alleged that Glover’s motives were homophobic in nature, while his lawyers claimed that he acted out of fear. Speaking of the verdict, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on 6th April. “Nathaniel Glover committed a shocking act of violence. This conviction makes clear my office will hold people who commit violent crime accountable to the full extent of the law.”

According to a report by Rolling Stone, when the guilty verdict was announced, Glover – who faces a maximum of 25 years in prison at his sentencing on 4th May – dropped his head.