Rapper G Dep granted clemency for fatal 1993 shooting
Entertainment
The rapper earned an associate's degree while in prison
(Web Desk) - Harlem rapper Travell "G. Dep" Coleman, who walked into a police precinct in 2010 and turned himself in for fatally shooting a man during a botched robbery he committed as a teenager in 1993, has had his sentence commuted by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Coleman was one of 16 granted clemency by Hochul on Friday, the Associated Press reports. Now 49, he has served 13 of his 15 years to life sentence and will be eligible for parole ahead of his original 2025 date.
"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 said in a statement.
The rapper earned an associate's degree while in prison, facilitated violence prevention and sobriety counseling programs and participated in educational and rehabilitative classes.
His clemency application was supported by the prosecutor in the murder case and the judge who sentenced him.
Coleman signed a $350,000 deal with hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records in 1998.
He released several albums under the name G. Dep and helped popularize the "Harlem shake" dance in the early 2000s.
