Remy Ma
Rapper Remy Ma has written to fans from her prison cell - thanking them for their continued support while she battles through an eight-year-stint behind bars.
The 26 year old hip-hop star - real name Reminisce Smith - was sentenced in May on charges of assault, weapons possession and attempted coercion for shooting Makeda Barnes Joseph in the abdomen in July 2007.
And while she still protests her innocence, Ma wants to take part in a program to show young people the realities of jail time. She writes, "They have this program called YAP (Youth Assistance Program) they keep asking me to join. It's a program that brings inner city kids to the prison to show them what it's like to be incarcerated. I hear that every group asks about me but I'm a little hesitant to join. They think it will give the kids a reality check that this can happen to anyone.
"I however feel that it'll be more of the kids wanting to see Remy Ma the rapper and because of that they won't get that I'm actually in jail. So I'm still contemplating."
Ma has confessed prison is a lot tougher than she ever thought - and admits even listening to the radio can leave her depressed about her life in lockdown. She adds, "I rarely listen to the radio because it's sort of depressing. Not being able to record is stressful not because I'm a rapper but because that was my way of venting and expressing myself. So I write a lot! So much that now I have a callous on my finger from holding a pen.
"Not being able to go somewhere when you want, see your family when you want, can't use the phone, take a shower, wear clothes, or even eat when you want - super aggravating... I really feel like an inmate."
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison