A hip hop star danced out of court after sidestepping a jail sentence for dealing drugs out of a Perth city centre flat.
Oakland Badze – better known as rapper Oakzy B – was caught with hundreds of pounds of cannabis when police swooped on a property in Scott Street.
The 27-year-old, who rose to prominence on BBC Three’s Rap Game reality show, had been facing a lesser charge of drug possession until police found incriminating texts on his phone, revealing weeks of drug-dealing activity.
Badze had been warned he could face jail after admitting being concerned in the supply of the class B substance between December 21 2020 and January 14 2021.
However, he was sentenced to unpaid work when he returned to Perth Sheriff Court for sentencing.
Co-accused Hassan Muwanga, from Perth, was jailed for dealing cocaine from his flat in St Catherine’s Square on a single date in April 2022.
Family man
The court heard how officers descended on the Scott Street property at 9.30am on January 14 2021.
They forced entry and found Badze – sometimes known as Badza – in a bedroom.
Cannabis worth around £840 was discovered in the flat.
Later, cybercrime specialists found drug-dealing messages on Badze’s phone dating back to before Christmas.
Solicitor Paul Sutherland, for Badze, said his client had not offended for more than three years, since becoming a family man.
Sheriff Jennifer Bain KC placed him on supervision for a year and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was told the sentence was a direct alternative to custody.
Badze was seen dancing, punching the air and whooping as he left the court.
Dealing ‘wasn’t harming anyone’
The court also heard how Muwanga was arrested when police raided his home and recovered £2,700 worth of cocaine.
The 36-year-old was sleeping in bed when officers arrived.
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said his client had already spent about 10 months in custody.
It is his third conviction for drug dealing, having been previously jailed for selling drugs to Perth schoolchildren in 2016.
Muwanga – who appeared in court via video link – also admitted having an illicit SIM card in Perth Prison on July 29 2022.
Sheriff Bain told him: “The report prepared on your behalf states that you have failed to accept responsibility and that there is a lack of insight and remorse on your part.
“You minimised your actions, claiming you weren’t harming anyone.
“But being part of a supply chain does have a serious impact on the community and there is the potential to hurt or even kill people.”
Muwanga was jailed for 26 months, plus a year-long supervised release order “to protect the public” once he is free.
His sentence was backdated by 10 months to reflect the time he has already spent in custody.
Rap career
Badze appeared in season three of the Apprentice-style reality show Rap Game UK.
He told viewers: “My goal is to be the biggest ever musician to ever come out of Scotland.
“Bigger than Lewis Capaldi. Bigger than The Proclaimers. Bigger than all of them. I want to become a household name in Scotland and the UK.”
A news report on a previous assault conviction features on the cover of his 2022 release Ward 9.
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