It took 10 years for Carlos Coy, better known as South Park Mexican, to build one of the most successful independent rap careers and record labels in Latino hip hop history. But a Texas jury needed only eight hours of deliberation to convict Coy of molesting a child.

Born in Houston, Texas, Coy was a junior high student who spent his time skateboarding and breakdancing until "gangs, grudges and girls" got in the way of his education. While enjoying a moderately successful stint as a crack dealer, Coy says he quit the drug game and found God. During his moment of clarity, he asked for a way out: "Jesus, I don't wanna slang dope no more. I don't wanna work for the fuckin' white man for $6 an hour and get treated like a fuckin' worthless wetback. I am a worthless wetback, I just don't wanna be treated like one."

Coy quit the drug game, then turned to Christianity and hip hop, christening himself "South Park Mexican" – a moniker inspired by the predominantly African-American city of South Park, Texas where he grew up and discovered hip hop. At first a Christian rapper, South Park Mexican lost faith after his positive verses were dissed at a party: "I did my rap and people were laughing at me." The gravel-voiced MC, also known as S.P.M., soon transitioned to spitting gritty autobiographical rhymes about life on the street.

In the early '90s, South Park Mexican began a new grind: selling cassette tapes of his first album, Hillwood, to anyone willing to lay out five dollars. It worked. He made enough cash to start his own record label, Dope House Records, and release his sophomore album, Hustle Town. By 2000, South Park Mexican had dropped four more albums and scored regional hits with songs like Wiggy, High So High and You Know My Name.

After signing a national distribution deal with Universal Music, the stocky Texan seemed poised to become a star. But in 2001, his unlikely rise to fame came to an abrupt halt. On September 25th of that year, Coy was arrested and charged with molesting his best friend's nine-year-old daughter. Coy turned himself in, maintaining his innocence while awaiting trial. More accusations followed, and before his trial even began, Coy was also charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old female fan.

Although prosecutors had no physical or DNA evidence to tie Coy to the molestation charge, they made their case by reminding jurors about his relationship with Jill Odom, a girl who fathered Coy's child when she was only 14 years old and Coy was 21. Prosecutors also dug up damaging interviews, including one in which Coy joked: "One more year in high school and I would've went to jail for f****** all those little young b******." Despite the best efforts of attorney Chip B. Lewis, who famously defended the late Ken Lay of Enron Corporation, Coy was found guilty and later sentenced to 45 years in prison.

South Park Mexican dropped two albums while in jail and his latest, The Last Chair Violinist, is scheduled for release later this year. Coy is appealing his conviction.