Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records has seen some truly rough times recently. Going back to 2018, the label has seen its roster depleted by incarceration and deaths. Rappers from the label who have been locked up include Foogiano, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Hotboy Wes, Mac Critter, and Pooh Shiesty, while last year, Big Scarr died at just 22 years old.
However, despite those bleak conditions, there is some good news: Ralo, one of the first current 1017 rappers to be locked up, is home free after serving five years of an eight-year sentence. Ralo had been arrested in 2018, accused of trafficking over $2 million in marijuana, and due to both the vagaries of the broken justice system and the COVID-19 pandemic, languished in a variety of jails for nearly four years before even getting a court date in early 2022. He was credited for this time along with a year and a half for good behavior, hence his “early” release.
The 28-year-old was greeted outside the federal penitentiary by family and friends in a video posted online, beaming from ear to ear as he celebrated his hard-earned freedom
While it remains to be seen if he can pick up where he left off — his most recent mixtape 97 Months was released in April this year — the silver lining is that his onetime mentor Gucci Mane was able to recover from his own stint in prison and come back bigger and better than ever. If anyone has pointers on bouncing back, it’ll be him.