In May 2012, one-time Bad Boy signee G. Dep was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a murder he confessed to committing nearly 20 years prior. And on a recent episode of 'Nightline,' he explained why he came forward after so many years and what his life's like now.

The Harlem rapper remembers the night in the fall of 1993 when he mugged a stranger. As he tells it, the man grabbed the gun and Dep fired three times. The next day he was asked by police if he had heard about the shooting, but he declined because of the term "shooting"—he thought the man was still alive.

The ensuing years brought a $350,000 record deal from Bad Boy and two relationships, the latter of which led to his marriage to now ex-wife Crystal Sutton. They had two boys together and it seemed like Dep's life was on the upswing, but he couldn't escape the pain of knowing he murdered someone. He says that it was probably "the drugs" that caused him to get dropped by Bad Boy and, eventually, confessed his crime not once but twice to police.

Police finally drudged up the murder case and charged Dep, who says he feels "freer now that he's locked up." Despite being incarcerated, he hasn't given up on his rap career. He's still writing rhymes during his sentence. He even gives an a cappella preview to close out the interview, though it's a bit hard to watch him do it so blank-faced.

You can watch the interview above.

More From TheBoombox