Drill rappers who Trump invited on stage at huge Bronx rally have been indicted over conspiracy to commit murder

Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow, the two drill rappers who welcomed Donald Trump to the stage at his massive rally in the Bronx on Thursday, are charged as co-conspirators in a 2023 murder case.

Trump campaigned Thursday in front of thousands of fans in one of the most Democratic and non-white areas of the US in an effort to do what his critics say is unthinkable: win New York in 2024.

During the meeting, he brought the pair of rappers on stage. Trump admired the dazzling diamond grills on their teeth, with the bling-loving Republican joking that he wanted one for himself.

Sheff G – real name Michael Williams – is a 25-year-old rapper whose songs and videos have millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams.

He is also a central figure in the gang case that was exposed more than a year ago by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez while he was serving a separate sentence for attempted gun possession.

Sleepy Hallow – real name Tegan Chambers, 24 – has almost 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He is charged with conspiracy in the gang case. Both he and Sheff G have pleaded not guilty.

Footage taken on Thursday shows Sheff G walking into the park where the rally took place as cameras followed him, while teenage boys appear visibly excited to spot the rapper. One of them said, ‘Oh my God. It’s Sheff G.’

Near the end of his speech on Thursday, Trump asked his supporters, “Does everyone know Sheff G?” Where’s Sheff G?’ before Sleepy Hallow was also introduced.

“President Trump, my man,” Sheff G was heard saying before Trump gestured for him to go to the microphone.

“One thing I want to say is that they will always whisper about your achievements and shout about your failures. Trump is going to shout victories for all of us,” Sheff G told the crowd before Sleepy Hallow took to the microphone to deliver Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”

A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign was asked whether the campaign was aware of the allegations and whether it was the former president seeking the rappers’ support or vice versa.

“As Sheff G said, ‘They always whisper about your achievements and always shout about your failures.’” Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded in an email.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service, which provides protection for Trump and secures his rallies, did not respond to a request for comment about Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow’s appearance on stage.

Both Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow are due back in court next month. Sheff G’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said Friday that “intense litigation” was underway and “we are cautiously optimistic that Mr. Williams will be acquitted.”

A message seeking comment on the case was left with Sleepy Hallow’s attorney.

After being released on parole in his gun case in June 2023, Sheff G was held on the new charges until last month, when a judge set bail at $1.5 million cash.

Sleepy Hallow was released on $200,000 bail in May 2023.

Prosecutors say Sheff G’s money fueled and rewarded multiple shootings as members of the 8 Trey Crips and affiliated 9 Ways gangs battled enemies.

He treated Sleepy Hallow and others to a steak dinner to celebrate the October 2020 shooting that killed an alleged member of a rival gang and injured five others, prosecutors say.

“It’s partly how Sheff G and Tegan Chambers – Sleepy Hallow – influence, right? Because they get people out, they can spend money and they can encourage others to participate in the gang violence that is critical to them and their status in the community,” Gonzalez said at a meeting. May 2023 press conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Both are Democrats.

Prosecutors have said they have surveillance videos, text messages, social media posts, cellphone records and more to support the charges.

While Gonzalez has noted that the rappers’ songs refer to retaliation by gangs and some of their rivals, he has said the lyrics have not been used as evidence.

Prosecutors also say Sheff G transported three co-defendants to and from an April 2021 shooting in which a gang rival was targeted but two bystanders were hit instead.

The Public Prosecution Service did not want to comment on the case on Friday.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat who represents the Bronx in Congress, said it is an offensive strategy for Trump to associate with people accused of violent crimes to appeal to black voters.

“The conflation of communities of color with crime is a racist trope that Donald Trump repeats,” said Torres, who is black.

Trump called other speakers to the stage Thursday, including Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and the Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., a former Democratic New York city councilman and senator.

The crowd at Crotona Park in the South Bronx stretched far beyond the 3,500 people scheduled to show up, and thousands had to wait outside the gated area in hopes of catching a glimpse of the 45th president.

Worryingly for Democrats, the meeting was packed with black and Hispanic people — two groups that Joe Biden takes for granted — and who make up most of the surrounding area’s population.

As Trump fights to win over minority voters, the real estate mogul delivered an hour-and-a-half speech about the decline of a city he loves — in which he vowed to “make New York City great again” and be the first Republican to win the state. since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“Everyone wanted to be here,” he told the crowd that waited six hours to hear Trump. “But unfortunately this is now a city in decline.”

“But if a New Yorker can’t save this country, no one can.”