Pic courtesy of D-Nice
I just got this press release from the Sunshine, Sachs & Associates firm:
“My family and I are eternally thankful to Governor Paterson, my attorneys Michael Krinsky and Craig Kaplan at Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman and to all of the people who have supported me throughout the past seventeen years. This has been a long and difficult road and I am happy for this to be settled once and for all. I look forward to enjoying this time with my family and friends and to continue leading an honest and productive life.”
– Ricky Walters
The New York Times has more:
New York Gov. David Paterson is granting a full and unconditional pardon to rapper Ricky ”Slick Rick” Walters for the attempted murders of two men in 1991.
The pardon is expected to halt efforts to deport Walters to the United Kingdom, the country he left as a child.
The eyepatch-wearing star behind the ’80s rap classic ”La-Di-Da-Di” served more than five years in prison after the shooting of his cousin and another man. Both survived.
The governor says Walters is now a rap artist and landlord in the Bronx who has not had any criminal problems since his release from prison in 1997. He also says Walters has volunteered to counsel youths against violence.
I’m so glad to hear this. Ricky was the first rapper to get me really interested in hip-hop.
It’s so weird, I was just reading an old XXL interview from 06, where he was talking about the whole immigration situation and today he gets pardoned, word! Hopefully an album is on the way.