After serving a stint of nearly a year in federal prison for tax evasion, rapper DMX is officially a free man.
According to TMZ, the 48-year-old musician was released from Gilmer Federal Correctional Institute in West Virginia early Friday morning into the arms of his family.
X was ordered to serve a year in custody for tax evasion during his trial last March. The judge also ordered that he remit a grand sum of $2.3 million in restitution, TMZ goes on to report.
Page Six reports that at the time of the sentencing, the rapper adamantly claimed that he had no idea how serious the crimes he committed truly were. He apologized for his bad behavior and told media he was “in a cloud” and “not thinking straight.”
Now that his sentence has been completed, the rapper is on the hook for paying the restitution back to the government. The judge is also requiring that DMX (real name Earl Simmons) completes extensive outpatient programs for drug abuse and mental health treatment.
His attorney, Murray Richmond, told reporters that the rapper was ready to return home to his family and resume his career where it left off before he got locked up.
TMZ also reported a month prior that Earl has been writing a lot of new content during his incarceration and is planning on dropping a brand-new album in the near future. There is even a lot of hype about a possible biopic film about the rapper’s life.
DMX is a free man. After serving 12 months for tax evasion, the 48-year-old rapper has been released, and it’s been reported that he’s going to work on a new album and possibly a biopic. On top of that, Ski Mask @THESLUMPGOD just tweeted that he wants to make a song with DMX. pic.twitter.com/qHSuQnfjRf
— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) January 25, 2019
According to photos of the rapper obtained and published by TMZ , DMX happily reunited with his son and fiancee as they headed to a local breakfast spot shortly after his release.
X is well-known for his large family, which includes being the father to 15 children. The youngest of which (his 2-year-old son, Exodus Simmons) could be seen embracing his father in the recently released photo.
DMX Has Been Released from Prison After Serving Time for Tax Fraud https://t.co/ofcgdsY7zZ
— People (@people) January 25, 2019
While the rapper was actually not supposed to be released until the end of the weekend, it is common practice to release inmates early when their release dates roll over into a weekend.
While fans have no time table on the upcoming events in DMX’s career, they will certainly be on the lookout for a fresh new album and a potential film. The rapper hasn’t released any new music since 2017, months before his incarceration.
Unsurprisingly, his fans are eager to see how his extended stay in federal prison might influence his music moving forward.