Troy Ave celebrates release from Rikers Island prison: “Ya Boi Home!!”

Troy Ave lived up to his 2021 album title God is great, straight paper this week. The 38-year-old rapper was celebrating his early release from Rikers Island prison after serving a sentence for attempted illegal possession of a firearm.

The Brooklyn rapper shared an Instagram photo of himself posing outside Rikers while standing next to a red Lamborghini with a bag full of money and a case of expensive alcohol. “Ya Boi Home!!” he wrote in the caption.

The “All About The Money” rapper was sentenced to one year in prison in February 2024 for his involvement in the 2016 Irving Plaza shooting that left his bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter dead.

Troy Ave pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree illegal possession of a weapon, which carries a minimum sentence of eight months in prison. However, since Ave had already served two months before being released on bail, he only had six months left. Taxstone, the man whose fingerprints and DNA were found on the gun, was sentenced to 35 years in prison last March after being found guilty of manslaughter.

“Okay, guys, maybe they're cheating on me, maybe you won't see me for a while,” Ave said on Instagram before announcing his sentencing. “But just know that the streets are a myth. All the people that were in the car with me, I ended up taking their guns away. Someone shot me, and instead of laying down and dying, I would have been a hero, a martyr. I took the gun and ran back.”

Ave readily accepted the consequences of his actions and had a positive attitude as he prepared for whatever was to come. “And there you have it. Here are the consequences,” he said. “But we don't cry over spilled milk. We take the lemons and make lemonade. God is great and the paper is straight. Stay cool. Keep it rolling. Send your prayers up. Prayers count more than anything.”