White-B, one of the faces of Quebec rap for a few years, was sentenced to two years less a day in prison on Wednesday for pointing a gun at a construction worker for a trivial chihuahua story. The judge strongly denounced the “extremely serious” effects of gun violence.
Posted at 1:15 p.m.
Real name David Bouchard-Sasseville, the rapper of the 5Sang14 collective, received his sentence by telephone from an Ontario prison on Wednesday, at the Montreal courthouse. The rising rapper has been serving a two-year sentence since February on other charges of possession of a firearm and commodification of sexual services. White-B’s legal troubles have surprisingly never been publicized.
White-B has been known on the Quebec hip hop scene since 2017. He has released four albums, filled venues across Quebec and accumulated several million streams on various platforms. In some of his music videos, he appears shamelessly with guns. Violence and drug culture are also imbued in his songs.
“I have a successful career that brings me a lot of money,” said White-B, when the judge questioned him about his job.
He also sings a duet with Loud in the most recent single of the heavyweight of Quebec rap, released last month. Contacted by The PressLoud declined to comment.
David Bouchard-Sasseville pleaded guilty last November to possession of a loaded firearm. According to the evidence presented at the preliminary investigation, the 27-year-old Montrealer attacked a worker who was traveling in a truck to work in an alley in Montreal in August 2019.
“Ouch, my dog! hears the victim scream. Coming out of his truck, the cement worker sees a small chihuahua coming out of the bushes. David Bouchard-Sasseville then arrives, accusing him of having almost killed his dog. “He shouts nonsense at him, that he is going to kill him”, sums up the judgment on the summons to trial.
The cement worker then takes out his tools to get to work, a few meters away. The worker sees the rapper with a rock in his hand, near his truck, and returns to see him to challenge the criminal. White-B then pulls a gun described by the victim as a “small black barrel revolver” from his pocket.
“When he shows his weapon, [l’accusé] says: “That, do you think it’s a fake?”. Less than five feet separates it from [la victime] who, at that time, fears being ‘shot’”, recounts the judgment on the preliminary investigation. Note that the accused did not plead guilty to a charge of using a firearm.
“It is a traumatic experience for victims to have a gun pointed at them. This is no way to settle disputes. It is extremely aggravating, ”insisted judge Manlio Del Negro on Wednesday morning.
The judge also wanted to denounce the scourge of firearm violence in Montreal, while we observe an upsurge in this crime. “It becomes a social problem, a problem for young people, a societal problem that has extremely serious effects,” said Judge Del Negro.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
White-B’s relatives and manager, whose real name is David Bouchard-Sasseville, attended the sentencing at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday morning.
Learning during the hearing that the accused was a popular rapper, the judge recalled that many rappers were involved in “confrontations with firearms”.
“He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Think about this saying during your time in prison,” the judge told the accused.
David Bouchard-Sasseville apologized to the victim and repeated that he had made “mistakes” when he was a “young adult”. He said he was “ready to pay the price” to never return to prison. “I grew up, I matured, I changed,” he said.
But after showing some remorse, the rapper then prided himself on being among the most popular artists in Montreal. “I do the biggest festivals, I do the Francofolies. I have sold out the Metropolis, I have sold out Club Soda, I sold out in Quebec and Sherbrooke. The next step was to go to France to grow my career,” said the rapper.
The sentence of two years in prison, less a day, imposed by the judge is relatively lenient. This is, however, a common suggestion from lawyers that the judge could hardly refuse. The Crown prosecutor, Mr.and Christine Desjarlais, referred to the possible recourses of the accused under the Charter to justify such a sentence.
Called to comment, the director of Joy Ride Records, White-B’s record company, did not want to comment on the future of his client. “I don’t have all the elements of the story yet. I’m going to make a decision with a clear head,” Carlos Munoz told The Press.