The Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole officially granted McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr. parole. The former rap artist represented by the No Limit label was released from prison on June 22 after serving 21 years of a 30-year sentence for the shooting death of a young fan at a small concert in Slidell, Louisiana.

Phipps has maintained his innocence and involvement in the crime throughout his incarceration. Supporting this claim is another man’s confession to the crimes and a witness recanting her testimony, along with additional supporting evidence.

“Today marks the end of a long fight for justice,” says McKinley’s wife, Angelique Phipps. “Today we are looking towards a brighter future for our family. We are grateful to all of those who have never wavered in their support of Mac’s innocence.”

In 2001 jurors in St. Tammany Parish found Phipps guilty of manslaughter in the killing of 19-year-old Barron Victor during a concert at the Club Mercedes. Victor died from gunshot wounds when a fight broke out in the club on Feb. 20, 2000. At the time of the murder, Phipps, then age 22, had recently signed a new record deal with the No Limit label.

The three members of the Board unanimously voted in favor of Phipps receiving immediate parole. “I want to say thank you for this opportunity,” Phipps told the board. “I definitely want to say I’m sorry to the family of the victim and to just anyone who was affected by this.”

Click here for full video of today’s parole hearing. The NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot offers an in-depth examination of Phipps’ trial and incarceration as part of a series focused on the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration.