A convicted killer has released a rap EP and made a ‘censored’ gesture from behind bars after his music was flagged to the authorities.
Kammar Henry-Richards, who goes by the name Kay-O, says he is ‘getting richer’ while serving a life sentence for murder at HMP Belmarsh.
Henry-Richards, 26, was imprisoned for a minimum of 37 years after a trial which concluded at the Old Bailey on January 14.
He was among four men jailed for the gangland murder of Kacey Boothe, who was shot seven times at almost point-blank range in north-east London on August 13, 2022.
The 25-year-old was targeted by a gang involved in a tit-for-tat feud with a rival group as he left a children’s birthday party at a community centre in Walthamstow. Detectives believe he was not the intended target.
One of Henry-Richards’ tracks was deleted from YouTube earlier this month after it came to the attention of the authorities but an EP entitled ‘10 Minute Call’ — referring to the time prisoners are allowed on the phone — has since been uploaded to a new account entitled Free Kay-O.
The music has also been released across streaming channels, potentially earning Henry-Richards, from Leyton, east London, money in royalties.
Videos show handwritten lyrics flowing on prison-issue notepaper, apparently written at the Category A prison in south-east London.
On ‘C’est La Vie’, Henry-Richards raps: ‘I sleep at night knowing I’m getting richer for me and mine. It’s free the guys until we all unlocked.
‘Bagged most the gang now you don’t hear any gunshot.’
The rapper also says: ‘I’m pressing packs and any other contraband I’m tryna get through them gates.’
In another track, entitled ‘Heavy Wait’, he says: ‘Judge knocked me out for the count, babe this is a heavy wait.
‘She heard the length of my sentence and she couldn’t even get her sentence straight.’
Henry-Richards also reflects on his crime in another music video where the names of his brother and sister and the victim are blurred out.
In the track ‘From Kammar’, he says: ‘You’d think that one of us that’s locked up is the one that shot him.
‘But that ain’t the case, I could never say a name.’
Mobile phones are banned in prisons and it is also forbidden to make unauthorised sound recordings.
However at the end of the track Kay-O says that ‘idiots are going on about man recording off illicit mobile phones’ when the lyrics are being relayed via 10-minute calls.
C’est La Vie garnered 125,000 plays when it was released on Spotify earlier this month, which would earn around £400 on royalties.
It is one of three tracks currently available on the service, copyrighted to TSM Entertainment.
C’est La Vie was previously removed from YouTube before the new account was set up with the message: ‘WE CAN’T LET THEM SILENCE HIM.’
According to the Sun, Henry-Richards has been banned for life from operating an account on the platform.
The new profile with the doctored police mug shot was set up this week and was reviewed by the Squeeze Reactions YouTube channel, which has more than 22,000 subscribers.
It is not clear if Henry-Richards can claim royalties from his music, as such issues are often covered by specific arrangements with the Prison Service.
A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said previously: ‘We are investigating this recording and have requested its removal.
‘There is currently no evidence to suggest it was uploaded from jail, but any prisoner found breaking the rules will be punished.’
Henry-Richards is one of a number of promising British rappers to end up behind bars in recent years.
Last July Remtrex, real name Demehl Thomas, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for his involvement in the supply of drugs.
Thomas, 34, from Birmingham, was found guilty following a trial at the city’s crown court.
The grime artist’s conviction was hailed as a ‘significant’ result in a wider investigation into a drugs line by West Midlands Police.
Metro has approached the MoJ for further comment.