Ja Rule is back on the road to being a free man.

According to Associated Press, the former Murder Inc. rapper will be released from prison on July 28th. The annoucement comes in the wake of last week’s news that he left state prison in central New York after serving most of his two-year sentence for illegal gun possession and went straight into federal custody for charges stemming from a tax evasion case.

Ja is currently incarcerated in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center for prisoners awaiting court dates or have short terms left on their sentences.

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The emcee was initially pinched in 2007 on a gun charge outside of New York’s Beacon Theater. He began serving his two-year sentence in June 2011, and a judge ruled that he could concurrently serve that sentence and another for tax evasion. His lawyer recently said that Ja is excited to be released from prison so he can pay back his $1.1 million debt to the government.

“Many people are looking forward to experiencing his talent again,” said defense attorney Stacey Richman, who also noted that he’s looking forward to his daughter’s graduation. “He’s a devoted father.”

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