Celebs Who Gained More Fame After Prison

Sometimes a prison sentence can really throw a monkey wrench in someone’s life and plans. But these stars emerged from behind bars more popular than ever.
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Meek Mill

Meek Mill’s high energetic voice quickly made him a fan favorite in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Rick Ross gave him a bigger platform for his music by signing him to his Maybach Music Group. But even though Meek was making a living as a rapper he was still dealing with the repercussions of his former life as a drug dealer. After serving more than a year in prison for drugs and gun possession, the Philly native was placed on probation. But this summer it was revoked and he’s been sitting in jail and his second album has been pushed back.

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Remy Ma

People familiar with the New York rap scene knew who Remy Ma was because of her affiliation with Fat Joe and the late Big Pun. But after she shot her friend in the stomach following a night of clubbing, a lot more people found out who the Bronx native was. Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison and was released this past summer after serving six. Following her release, Remy, real name Reminisce Smith, checked an item off of her bucket list after appearing on Wendy Williams. She also was one of the most anticipated rappers to appear on the BET cipher.

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Lil Boosie

Not too many people outside of Louisiana knew who Lil Boosie was. The Baton Rouge native had a promising rap career that was interrupted when he wound up in federal prison after being found guilty on drug charges in 2011. While locked up, his fans started a grassroots campaign to free the rapper. By the time he was released from prison, Boosie was dubbed the 2Pac of the South. He held a press conference on his first day of freedom to reveal his new deal with Atlantic Records.

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Lil Kim

Rapper Lil Kim has been popular in the music industry since the 90’s but she disappeared from the scene for a little while because of a prison stint. She ended up in the big house after refusing to snitch on her crew. MTV cameras followed the pint-sized star around during her last days of freedom for a special reality show. After serving a year and a day, Kim’s profile was so high, she landed a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”

2Pac

2Pac’s outlaw image certainly boosted his popularity and helped him sell some records. In 1993 a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room and after a lengthy trial, he was found guilty. His album “Me Against The World” was released while he was in prison and it went on to sell three million copies worldwide. Nine months into his prison sentence, 2Pac was released while awaiting his appeal. He returned to the studio with a vengeance and maintained a high profile until he was gunned down in September 1996 after attending a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas.

Snoop Dogg

2Pac wasn’t the only Death Row rapper who shot to a whole new level of stardom following a brush with the law. A young Snoop Dogg aligned himself with cousin Nate Dogg and Warren G when he was just a teenager to launch a rap career. His verse on Dr. Dre’s “Deep Cover” managed to grab a lot of attention but the following year while working on his debut album, he was arrested for murder. Snoop eventually beat the charge with the help of famed defense lawyer Johnnie Cochrane. His debut album contained the song “Murder Was The Case” and Snoop became a legend.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder’s first significant role was in “Beetlejuice” and she followed that up with numerous and diverse roles. But in 2001, she made headlines for a totally different reason. Ryder was busted after shoplifting more than $5,000 from Saks Fifth Ave. Ryder originally said she was researching for a new role but she later admitted that she had a drug addiction and was suffering from depression. Ryder was sentenced to three years probation but that didn’t stop a lot of people from wearing “Free Winona” t-shirts.

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. has been in the movie making business since the mid 80’s but his career almost came to a crashing halt due to his drug problem. Downey spiraled out of control and ended up with several rehab stints and prison sentences under his belt. The “Tropic Thunder” star was arrested several times for drug possession. In one instance he was arrested for trespassing after he was found passed out at a neighbor’s house. Downey got his act together, stayed sober and had one of the best comebacks in Hollywood.

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash earned an outlaw image early on in his career. He was jailed on seven different occasions. His most infamous arrest came when authorities suspected him of trafficking heroin while on tour. But all they found were over 1000 prescription pills in Cash’s guitar case. He was given a suspended sentence but the man in black spent a lot of time in jail. Capitalizing off of his bad boy image, the baritone singer performed a lot of his concerts in prison, which led to the successful “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” and “Johnny Cash at San Quentin” albums.

T.I.

T.I. went from selling drugs to selling albums but even though he was a well-known rapper he was still caught up in his first life. Back in 2007 he was arrested after the FBI swooped in and busted him with three unregistered machine guns and two silencers. The arrest came just a few hours before the BET Awards and it was all anyone could talk about for weeks. While he dealt with his ongoing legal troubles, Tip was still releasing albums and his music was more popular then ever. MTV filmed the Atlanta rapper in the weeks before he turned himself in to start his prison sentence. After serving his time, T.I. soon found himself right back in prison but he has since turned his image around and is now a family man living on reality television.

Slick Rick

Slick Rick first gained some fame by joining Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew but soon he branched out on his own. But a couple years after dropping his debut album, Slick Rick was behind bars for shooting his cousin. Def Jam Record’s co-founder Russell Simmons bailed him out and Rick the Ruler hit the studio. He would go on to serve five years in prison, two for the attempted murder charge and another three over the INS about his residency status in the U.S. But despite being locked up, his fame only grew.

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Chief Keef

Chief Keef’s popularity grew in his hometown of Chicago but people outside of the region didn’t take notice to the rapper until the inner city violence that gripped the city became national news. Many pointed their fingers at gangsta rappers like Chief Keef, who glorified guns and drugs. He became more notorious thanks to his arrest record. Keef was arrested for manufacturing and distributing heroin in 2011. That same year he was also picked up after pointing a load gun at police. Last year he served two short jail stints over different charges.