G. Dep, Ex-Bad Boy Artist, Released From Prison After 13-Year Sentence

G. Dep was finally released from prison on Thursday (April 4). 

TMZ reports that the ex-Bad Boy artist was released after serving 13 years behind bars for murder. Upon his release, Dep shared various videos documenting his journey back home. The rapper can be seen in the first video greeting his family and friends. “I told you I was bringing you home, right?” a woman can be heard lovingly saying in the video before embracing him with a hug. 

A follow-up video shows him hitting a local IHop where he relishes being “free at last.” He holds up a diner menu while giving thanks to his family again, showing gratitude to his fans and supporters over the years. G caps off the flurry of posts with a picture of himself posing in IHop with the word “Back” sprawled across the picture. 

Dep, né Trevell Coleman, was initially arrested in 2010 after he confessed to a murder. He robbed and murdered a John Doe in 1993. A man named John Henkel was also fatally shot during an East Harlem robbery that year. In the years since then, Coleman claimed to be “haunted” by his actions. 2010 found Dep confessing to his crime, seeking forgiveness from God in pursuit of becoming a new man. 

According to CBS, while he did acknowledge the shooting during the trial, the rapper argued that police may have slapped the Henkel cold case on him. Nonetheless, the Harlemite was then sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in 2012. 

While some people were confused by Coleman’s decision to confess, his lawyer, Anthony L. Ricco, spoke about his client’s decision at the time. “He was in search of his redemption and his honor, and some might say that he achieved that,” Ricco said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul then commuted his prison sentence in 2023, per CBS. Dep was released under the prison’s Limited Credit Time Allowance program. The program offers eligible prisoners a six-month credit on existing sentences. Hochul offered a statement at the time, speaking to Coleman and other prisoners’ “efforts to improve their lives.” “Through the clemency process, it is my solemn responsibility as governor to recognize the efforts individuals have made to improve their lives and show that redemption is possible,” Hochul’s statement read.

G. Dep released his debut album, Child of the Ghetto, in 2001. The LP featured contributions from Black Rob, Joe Hooker, aka Harve Pierre, Diddy, Carl Thomas, Kool G Rap, Lady May, Loon, Rakim, Shyne, and more. G. Dep’s debut yielded two singles in “Let’s Get It” and the iconic “Special Delivery.” “Let’s Get It” peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 100, with “Special Delivery” peaking at No. 59 on the same chart. However, the LP peaked at No. 106 on the Billboard 200. Diddy and Bad Boy weren’t feeling those numbers, and the rapper was eventually dropped from the label.