Ra Diggs filmed himself bragging about crimes as a New York gang leader
An American rapper who filmed himself bragging about crimes he had committed as a gang leader in New York has been found guilty of murder.
Ronald Herron, known as Ra Diggs and who worked with Waka Flocka Flame, said his lyrics were not about him but about life in the city.
It took one day of deliberations for a jury at Brooklyn Federal Court to convict the aspiring hip-hop artist.
He was found guilty of three murders, drugs charges and extorting money.
Herron remained calm and straight faced as the jury found him guilty of all 21 charges.
He faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced on 1 October by Judge Nicholas Garaufis.
The sister of murder victim Victor Zapata and several supporters of Herron cried in the court room.
Prosecutors took the unusual step of using Herron's rap lyrics and YouTube videos as evidence against him in the trial.
He is seen boasting of beating up a murder case, retaliating against drug rivals and being a high-ranking member of the Bloods gang.
Rapper Waka Flocka Flame worked as a music artist with Ra Diggs
Herron's defence team called an expert on rap music, Lehigh University professor James Peterson, to argue that the lyrics are written forms of art and should not be interpreted literally.
Herron took the witness stand in his own defence and insisted the violent content of his lyrics was "exaggeration" and "hyperbole."
Prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) teamed up to take down Herron's drug crew, which had been terrorising the Gowanus Houses.
"Ronald Herron and his gang of thugs preyed on their community while glorifying their criminal lifestyle," said US attorney Loretta Lynch.
"He styled himself a rap artist, but the jury's verdict makes clear who Herron really is, a drug dealer and murderer who sought power through fear and intimidation."
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