Dancehall artist Rygin King arrested in New York on gun charges

Dancehall artist Rygin King, who skyrocketed to fame with his breakout single “Tuff,” has been arrested and charged with weapons offenses in New York City.

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The 29-year-old deejay, born Mathew Smith, was taken into custody by the NYPD 113th Precinct’s ‘Midnight Public Safety Team’ on July 8 as part of the city’s #onelessgun campaign.

The precinct announced the arrest on social media without naming Smith, stating, “Yesterday, 113 pct Midnight Public Safety Team made an arrest and recovered this loaded firearm. Excellent work! #onelessgun.”

Smith now faces four charges, including second, third, and fourth-degree possession of a firearm, ammunition, and criminal possession of a weapon. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear in Queens Criminal Court on Friday, July 12. New York City, known for having some of the strongest gun laws in the U.S., could see Smith facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The “Squeeze Trigga” deejay, who is unable to walk following a near-fatal drive-by shooting in Westmoreland in 2020 that also claimed the life of his manager’s wife, has had a series of tragic encounters since his rise to fame.

The artist confirmed that on the fateful day of the shooting, he was shot three times and nearly died. At the time, reports are that they were returning from a funeral with his entourage when his manager’s car was involved in an accident leading them to stop in Struie district, Westmoreland. That’s when gunmen fired on the artiste who was at the height of his career.

Despite these setbacks, Rygin King is credited with popularizing trap dancehall in 2018 and has been actively recovering through therapy.

He recently released his sophomore album, “Recovery,” on June 14, 2024, via Rygin King Trap Records, though it sold fewer than 1,000 units in the U.S.