Bronx drill rapper Kay Flock, whose music career was gaining national attention before his arrest in 2021, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison for his role in a string of shootings that prosecutors said terrorized his neighborhood and glorified gang violence.
The 22-year-old artist, born Kevin Perez, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, who said Kay Flock used his growing influence to promote violence rather than escape it. The sentence follows Perez’s March conviction on charges including racketeering conspiracy and attempted murder tied to four separate shootings between 2020 and 2021.
Judge explains the long sentence
“You taunted, you celebrated and you helped create a cycle of violence,” Liman told Kay Flock during the sentencing hearing, according to Yahoo! News. The judge cited Perez’s social media activity, including a post reading “KILL ALL RATS” after gang members testified against him, as evidence of his continued disregard for the harm caused by his actions.
Kay Flock kept up a reign of terror
Prosecutors said Kay Flock led a Bronx-based gang known as Sev Side/DOA and was responsible for shootings that left multiple people wounded and others dead during a less-than-18-month period. Although Perez was acquitted on the most serious count in the case, Liman said a lengthy sentence was necessary to reflect the seriousness of the remaining offenses.
Calling Kay Flock a “man of promise,” Liman said the rapper’s talent and early success made his conduct especially damaging to younger peers who looked up to him. “You sent exactly the wrong message,” the judge said.
Kay Flock tried to say he’s a changed man
Kay Flock addressed the court, insisting that he had changed since the crimes occurred. “What I was at 18 is not what I am today,” he said, adding that he deserved a second chance. “I was just a kid. Didn’t really know better.”
But Liman criticized Kay Flock for failing to acknowledge the victims of the shootings. “To date, you’ve shown no real remorse for your conduct,” the judge said.
Kay Flock rose quickly in New York’s drill rap scene, a genre known for gritty lyrics, aggressive rivalries and frequent references to violence. In November 2021, Billboard magazine named him R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month following the release of his debut album, The D.O.A. Tape, shortly before his arrest.
The Department of Justice wanted a half-century sentence
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick R. Moroney urged the judge to impose a 50-year sentence, arguing that Perez used real-world violence to fuel his music career. “He was very good at celebrating his violence and getting under the skin of his rivals,” Moroney said. Prosecutors wrote in sentencing filings that Perez signed with a record label and encouraged violence through private messages to enhance his reputation.
Defense attorney Michael Ashley sought the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, arguing that Perez grew up in one of the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods and was influenced by older gang members. Liman said he considered Perez’s youth, noting that his brain was “still evolving and maturing” at the time of the crimes and that six of his friends had been killed by gun violence before he turned 18.
“The life of the street,” Liman said, “is all you’ve ever known.”