Why Was Bay Area Rapper Yatta Bandz Sentenced to 12 Years in Jail?

From Young Thug to Lil Boosie, plenty of rappers have found themselves at the center of high-profile legal cases. Among the long list of hip-hop artists who have been in trouble with the law is Bay Area rapper Yatta Bandz.

Although Yatta is currently locked up, that hasn’t stopped him from breaking the internet. Along with dropping new music, Yatta’s romantic life has also made headlines.

But why is Yatta Bandz in jail? We have answers.

According to court documents, the State filed a case against Yatta, born Kenyana Jones, in January 2017. He was arrested on several counts: assault with a semi-automatic firearm, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, and shooting at an unoccupied car.

The arrest came after Yatta was caught on a surveillance camera firing shots at another car. He was violating his probation at the time the crime was committed, which didn’t help his case.

Yatta’s attempts to get his case dismissed in court were to no avail, and he ultimately pleaded guilty. Today, Yatta is serving a 12-year sentence for attempted murder and possession of a semi-automatic firearm. He was also ordered to pay $600 in restitution.

However, Yatta has proven that money isn’t an issue for him — especially after his lavish prison proposal.

While incarcerated, his girlfriend, Isabelle (known as Ms. Belly Belle on social media) has been holding him down. And Yatta showed his appreciation for her support in a grand gesture that went viral.

Rap and romance don’t always go hand-in-hand — that's unless you’re talking about Yatta. Despite being behind bars, he pulled out all the stops to pop the question to his girlfriend.

The recording of the marriage proposal, which took place via video call on Feb. 12, 2024, was complete with candles, a violinist, champagne, and hundreds of roses.

In a TikTok post, Isabelle gushed about her new fiancé.

“[Feb. 12] I got engaged to my best friend, my person, the love of my life, my life partner that I can’t imagine being without,” she captioned a video of the momentous occasion.

“The sleepless nights without you, the anxiety I get worrying about you, the ups [and] downs we been through, the time apart,” Isabelle added. “This s--t don’t get easy, some days are harder than others but you’re worth everything.”

“To be loved by you is the biggest blessing within itself. I love you so much, baby,” she finished the sentimental post.

Shortly after it was posted, the clip went viral.

According to Isabelle, she and the rapper met by way of mutual friends “and the rest was history.” It doesn’t look like Yatta will be free anytime soon but it looks like his now-fiancée is willing to wait however long it takes.

Well, this just proves that the age-old saying is true: love truly does conquer all!