The rapper served a year in jail for tax evasion

DMX has played his first show since being released from prison.

The rapper served a year in the Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution in Glenville, West Virginia on tax evasion charges. He was sentenced in March 2018, by which point he had already been incarcerated for two months due to a bail violation.

On Saturday (January 26), DMX returned to the stage for the first time since being granted freedom. His booking at Staten Island supper club Mr. Ciao was a last minute one, following a scheduled performance from Ja Rule being cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

“DMX you saved the day!!!” The club wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all that came to party see you February 10th for brunch with @DJCamilo.”

According to HotNewHipHop, the rapper included ‘Party Up (Up In Here)’, ‘Where’s The Hood At?’, and ‘Ruff Ryders Anthem’ in his set.

DMX may now be out of prison but he will reportedly still be under supervised release for three years. He was initially arrested after New York federal prosecutors said he was behind a multi-year scheme to hide millions in income from the IRS, avoiding $1.7 million in existing tax liabilities.

His last show before entering prison was at Philadelphia’s Theatre Of Living Arts. He was sent to prison on January 30, 2018, after failing a drug test. Judge Jed Raykoff decided at the time that he was a genuine flight risk and ordered he was imprisoned until his sentencing two months later.