French Rapper Naps to Face Trial for Rape, Contests Charges
In a major development, a French investigating magistrate has ruled that rapper Naps must stand trial for rape, following allegations of assault on a woman in her sleep in 2021.
The Marseille-born artist, whose YouTube views have reached over 186 million for his hit track “La kiffance”, contests all charges against him “as firmly as possible”, according to his lawyer Nabil Boudi. Boudi has appealed the trial order, which was filed with Paris prosecutors on May 15.
The incident allegedly occurred in October 2021, when the woman and her friends spent the night at a bar in the capital before moving to a hotel room. Prosecutors said that the group’s friends gradually left the room, leaving the woman and the alleged assailant alone. According to the investigation, the woman was woken up by a sexual act she did not consent to, while the others were asleep.
Naps was charged in October 2021 and placed under judicial observation. Prosecutors waited until February this year to request a trial, which has now been granted.
Naps rose to fame in 2021 with the release of “La kiffance”, a track from his album “Les mains faites pour l’or” (“Hands made for gold”). He has also collaborated with other major French artists, including global star Maitre Gims. His debut album “Ma ville et ma vie” (“My city and my life”) was released in 2015.