by Zara Mustapha

An aspiring  hip hop artist Ronald (Ra Diggs) Herron has been convicted by a federal jury of  racketeering, drug trafficking and the murders of three rivals after only one day of deliberations in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Herron was pronounced guilty by the jury foreman of all 21 counts in the indictment. He faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced on Oct. 1 by Judge Nicholas Garaufis.

According to reports, prosecutors  took the unusual step of using Herron’s rap lyrics and YouTube videos as evidence against him in the trial — he boasted of beating a murder case, retaliating against drug rivals and being a high-ranking member of the Bloods gang.

Daily News reports:

The sister of murder victim Victor Zapata and several supporters of Herron wept quietly in the courtroom.

Herron’s defense 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.

In a risky move, Herron took the witness stand in his own defense and insisted that the violent content of his lyrics was “exaggeration” and “hyperbole.”

Federal prosecutors, the FBI and the NYPD teamed up to take down Herron’s drug crew, which had been terrorizing the Gowanus Houses.

“Ronald Herron and his gang of thugs preyed on their community while glorifying their criminal lifestyle,” said Brooklyn U.S. 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.”