Superstar rapper Meek Mill was pardoned of his weapons and drug charges by outgoing Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfe.
Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, revealed his pardon on Instagram Thursday, with the caption “Thankyall I’m only gone do more for my community on god!” Mill was convicted in 2008 for drugs and weapons charges at age 18 and served eight months of an 11-23 month prison sentence. (RELATED: ‘My Mind Is Blown’: Famous Actress Julia Roberts Takes DNA Test, Discovers She’s Been Living A Lie Her Entire Life)
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Afterwards, Mill spent over a decade on probation and went back to prison on multiple occasions for violating his probation agreement. He was arrested in 2012 for smoking marijuana and went to prison in 2014 for violating his probation by booking performances outside of Philadelphia without prior approval, according to Billboard.
Mill was given 90 days of house arrest for traveling outside Philadelphia in 2016 and went to prison in 2017 for another violation of his probation. He successfully appealed his 2008 conviction in 2019, arguing the police officer who served as the sole witness in his trial lacked credibility.
Wolfe’s pardon means that Mill’s offenses will no longer be on his criminal record. The rapper has become a prominent criminal justice reform activist because of his time on probation.
Mill founded the REFORM Alliance in 2019, a progressive nonprofit geared towards reducing probation for criminal offenses nationwide, according to its website. Mill has expressed support for Black Lives Matter and wrote a song called “Stay Woke” in 2018.