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British rapper Slowthai has been charged with two counts of r*pe. On May 16, he appeared in an Oxfordshire, England, magistrates court via video for a preliminary hearing. During the virtual hearing, the 28-year-old star spoke only to confirm his identity, birth date, and address.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of s*xual abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.
As per The Guardian, Slowthai, whose real name is Tyron Kaymone Frampton, appeared in court for a 2021 case where he allegedly penetrated a woman orally and vaginally without her consent.
Prosecuting attorney Adam Yar Khan said that since r*pe is an indictable violation, the case must be tried in crown court. Reportedly, he was granted bail and is scheduled to appear in Oxford crown court in June 2023.
Slowthai maintained his innocence on social media
Hours after the news of him being charged with r*pe accusations went viral, Slowthai went to his Twitter handle and shared a statement denying the accusations.
The rapper stated that he "categorically denies the charges" and maintained his innocence, adding that he is "confident" that his name will be cleared from the case.
"Until then, I will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly."
The Britisher further asked his supporters to respect the process and privacy of his family and not to comment on his ongoing case.
In England, a magistrate court generally handles summary offenses such as simple assault and theft, whereas the crown court handles more serious crimes such as murder and r*pe, as per People Magazine. All criminal cases begin in magistrates' court before being transferred to the crown court, where a jury determines a person's guilt or innocence.
Born on December 18, 1994, Frampton is a native of Northampton, United Kingdom. He earned his stage name due to his slurred, slow speech. He grew up listening to punk, garage, and jungle music styles. When he was in his early teens, he started solo singing. Jiggle, a song that came out in early 2016, was his first big hit.
Even though Slowthai subsequently claimed to have written the song as a joke, it helped launch his career. His 2017 song Murder was released before his first EP, I Wish I Knew. He also contributed to artist JD. Reid's Calibrate EP in the same year with the song Interior, which also included 808ink and Oscar #Worldpeace.
Slowthai broke into the mainstream music industry with his Mercury Prize-nominated album, Nothing About Great Britain, released in 2019. His other great releases included Polaroid, North Nights, Hi This Is Flume, High Beams, etc.
Since then, he's released two albums: Tyron in 2021 and Ugly in 2023. The latter, produced via Interscope Records, took the second position on the British charts and the third top 10 albums of his music career.
The rapper is set to perform at many forthcoming summer festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds.
The rapper has recently worked with Tyler, the Creator, and Brockhampton. Gorillaz's album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, also included the 28-year-old musician.
As of this article's writing, the identity and details of the accusation made by the anonymous woman are not revealed. The case will further commence next month.
